Facade
by Arabflower
Summary: The more things Change, the more they stay the same. Ward has fallen after losing Skye in a mission and it's up to Jemma to catch him before he fell deeper into depression but has Ward really lost Skye? What exactly is Raina planning? (Skye/Grant Ward/Jemma Simmons)
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** Facade

**Disclaimer:** This is a work of fiction adapted and based on other works of fiction .I only hold the copyrights to my imagination

**Characters:** Skye; Grant Ward; Jemma Simmons; Leo Fitz; Phil Coulson; Melinda May; Antoine Triplett; Raina; Ian Quinn; Agent Koenig; Lance Hunter, Alphonso 'Mack' Mackenzie; Original Character

**Pairings: **Skye/Grant Ward [Skye-Ward]; Grant Ward/Jemma Simmons; Jemma Simmons/Leo Fitz (one-sided); Jemma Simmons & Antoine Triplett (friendship); Phil Coulson/Melinda May (implied)

**Genre: **Drama/ Angst /Romance

**Summary: ** The more things Change, the more they stay the same.

Ward has fallen after losing Skye in a mission and it's up to Jemma to catch him before he fell deeper into depression but has Ward really lost Skye? What exactly is Raina planning?

**Authors Note (A/N):** This does not follow the Current Track and Characters will be slightly OOC (out of Character)

Skye smiled broadly at the man sound asleep beside her, the sunlight danced across his chiselled features as she ran her fingers through his dark curls, pulling him closer for a passionate kiss. It had been a year since Ward had left the confines of vault D and rejoined his former team in the field but his return was met with varying responses. Coulson had decided to give the man a second chance, May had agreed with Coulson's decision but remained wary of Ward, Triplett had decided to forgive but he couldn't forget, because forgetting what Ward had done was foolishness and Trip was no fool though he was a fair man so he gave Grant a chance at redemption.

The problem was Fitz, because no matter what Ward did, how heroically he acted in the field or how many HYDRA agents he took out, Fitz hated Ward for causing his current disability and for nearly killing him and Simmons. Jemma, surprisingly, didn't seem to have any issues with Ward. After he rescued her heroically from HYDRA's clutches when her cover was blown, he learned that she still treated him with the same kindness and compassion that she treated everyone with, but deep down Skye knew that Jemma's reaction to Grant was really because of her friendship with the former hacker and not because the biochemist had forgotten Ward's betrayal. Skye knew of Jemma's nightmares just as Jemma knew of Skye's love for Ward and it meant the world to Skye that Jemma could try to be civil to the man who nearly killed her simply because her best friend loved the same man.

Ward felt Skye's nimble fingers thread through his locks and he sighed in contentment. Sure it was rough when he initially rejoined his old team, he had burned many bridges following Garret's orders but the only thing that kept him determined to earn their forgiveness was his very real feelings for Skye. Skye meant the world to him and the day she kissed him and told him that she loved him was easily the best day of his life, irrespective of the 16 hour surgery that he had undergone under the skilled hands of Simmons and Triplett to remove the bullets lodged in his cardio thoracic cavity after saving Simmons from Hydra. He knew he deserved the looks of contempt from Fitz, the cold glowers from May and the disappointed but hopeful looks from Coulson. What he wasn't prepared for were the warm encouraging smiles from Simmons and the friendly banter with Trip; Ward had figured out early on that Simmons was being nice to him because of Skye while Trip, who was seriously crushing on Jemma, decided to bury the hatchet because Simmons batted her eyelashes at him and said _'but he saved my life Antoine! At least be civil to him!'_ so life wasn't completely unbearable for him at the playground...now only if he could get Koenig to stop hooking him up to Fury's lie detector after every mission then he could say things were 'semi normal'

There's a soft knock on their bunk door, and Ward immediately knew who stood on the other end of the door before Jemma's voice called through the barrier

Jemma: "Umm...Skye? Ward? Coulson wants us in the briefing room in 10..."

Skye giggled and called back: "Be right there Jem!"

She then placed a gentle kiss on Grant's face, fully waking him from his slumber and smiled when her eyes met his

Skye: "love...it's time to go...Jemma's too polite to barge in and drag us out like May or Trip..."

Grant: "She's English babe...They always insist on being 'proper' about everything...May and Trip know how tardiness can affect the mission..."

Skye: "Well anyway...let's get going before May or Trip decide we've slept in long enough..."

So after quickly freshening up and getting dressed Ward and Skye walked hand in hand to the briefing room, her soft hand encased in his bigger, calloused ones and Ward smirked when his skin touched the cool metal of her engagement ring. The overhead lights bounced of the diamond splendidly and Ward knew that he had made the correct choice when he asked Skye to marry him. He had no family heirlooms, since everything went to his elder brother and since nearly everyone hated him he was more than thrilled when 3 week s ago, the one person who he could call an expert in Jewellery, agreed to help him and according to Jemma, _ 'it's only a pleasure'_

_*FLASHBACK- 3 Weeks Ago*_

_It was nearly midnight and Ward had been pacing the length of the common room in mild panic. Hours before he had finally realised that he wanted to ask Skye to Marry him and seconds after that he realised that no proposal was complete without a ring and the fact that he didn't have a ring was the reason behind his anxiety but like an angel descending from heaven Jemma Simmons traipsed down the Stairs and headed towards the lab. The Universe had presented him with the answer to his problem, and he thanked his lucky stars that Jemma walked down first because there was no way he was going to ask May for advise on proposing. _

_Jemma had seen the look of distress on Ward's face from the top of the staircase and had momentarily wondered what could have been bothering the man, even though she forgave him for nearly killing her she was still guarded around him and her inner voice (which now sounded exactly like Skye) had demanded that she forgive him. So deciding to bridge the gap in their relationship, Jemma moved towards Grant with a smile on her face and cheer in her voice_

_Jemma: "Hey Ward! Something on your mind? Need any help?"_

_Grant: "Simmons...Well...Yes, Um...You see the thing is...Well Skye and I...No I Want...But...You see there's...Well... you understand right?"_

_Grant could not verbalise his request whether it was out of sheer nervousness or blind panic he would never know but the giggle that erupted from Jemma, caused him to chuckle at his behaviour_

_Jemma: "Ward, I have an IQ of 197 and two phD's I'm not a mind reader!"_

_Grant scoffed and pouted in disbelief_

_Grant: "You can read Fitz's mind fairly well!"_

_Jemma: "Well that came with practice... That and the instruction manual I used when I assembled Fitz helped a great deal..."_

_Grant's eyes grew wide and his jaw dropped in amazement_

_Grant: "Really?"_

_Jemma: "No...I was lying! See told you I'm getting better..."_

_Grant: "you are...I almost believed you!_

_Jemma: "ah well...So you gonna tell me what's bothering you?"  
>Grant: "I love Skye..."<br>Jemma: "I know...But I fail to see the problem..."  
>Grant: "I want to ask her to marry me..."<em>

_Jemma: "Well I see two problems, tell me which one it is...One, you don't have a ring and Two, you don't know if she'll say yes..."_

_Grant: "Well I only had one problem before...The ring...Now I have to worry about whether she'll say yes..."_

_He sank down on the couch and held his head in his hands and in a matter of seconds Jemma was beside him, talking him through the surging panic coursing through him. _

_Jemma: "How's about this...Tomorrow we'll tell Coulson that you and I have errands to run and I'll help you pick out the perfect ring...with the perfect ring and your perfect cheekbones I hardly think that Skye will refuse...So there, two birds, one stone..."_

_Ward: "Thanks Jemma,"_

_It was too early in their friendship for him to hug her but he smiled gratefully at the one other person, besides Skye, who had the ability to bring light into his darkened life._

_*End Flashback*_

Ward smiled at the white gold and Diamond ring that adorned Skye's finger and he couldn't help but appreciate Jemma's taste in jewellery. It was truly a work of art, perfect craftsmanship, the perfect circle no beginning and no end, the ideal symbol for the eternal love he had for Skye, because his new life had begun and will end with her as for him she was the love of his life.

Skye smiled brightly up at him and pulled him closer, kissed his cheek and whispered into his ear

Skye: "There's something I have to tell you...Tonight, after the mission ok?"

They had reached the briefing room and taken their respective positions at the table. Ward could've sworn he saw Coulson smile at them as they entered, the new director was clearly thrilled that Skye had found true love and would've openly expressed his exuberance if May hadn't glared at him every time the older agent's eyed lit up in approval. May on the other hand seemed indifferent about his new relationship with Skye and it was only through Simmons that Grant learned that the other Agent approved of the relation but whether Simmons was lying to him he would never know _'curse Hydra for making her a better liar'_

It was a simple 'two-man' extraction mission, Mike Peterson was being held in a warehouse and Skye was going in with May as her partner. Nothing overly complicated, it was a standard, routine op but clearly those ops were the most dangerous...Dangerous because they are severely underestimated and it was because of their underestimation that Grant found himself pacing the length of the break room anxious for Skye's (and to an extent May's) return. Fitz had seen him pace as he walked towards the bunks but scoffed at the sight of him, turned his face and walked away. Simmons however gave Fitz an admonishing glare before walking towards Ward.

Jemma: "How long have you been pacing for?"  
>Ward: "An hour...Nearly two..."<p>

Jemma: "Well they left a while ago...How about I take you up on that offer of training me in combat? Since May is Skye's SO, You need a new rookie? Whaddya Say?"

Ward smiled at the Biochemist's feeble attempt to distract him but her lack of combat training was a pressing concern and Ward had lost count the number of times Simmons nearly died in the field because of her 'self-sacrificing' nature.

Ward: "training room... in five"

He walked away as Simmons rushed to her bunk to change and exactly five minutes later he met Simmons in the Training room, _'Now if only Skye could be this punctual...'_

Ward was interrupted from his musings when Simmons cleared her throat and the two of them commenced her training. After nearly an hour of work and extraneous exercise, Simmons learnt how to properly throw a punch and was working on disarming Ward when Coulson's voice blared through the Base intercom

Coulson: "Code 5, draw out protocol initiated...All hands on deck"

Ward froze when he heard the words 'code 5' and he turned to Simmons the panic barely seen in his eyes

Ward: "Code 5? Skye..."

Simmons had strode towards the door and was about to exit when she turned and called over her shoulder

Simmons: "Coming Ward?"

Ward simply nodded and followed her out and in seconds they met up with Trip, Fitz, Hunter and Mack outside the Briefing room. Ward's jaw clenched slightly when he saw Fitz glaring at Simmons because she had walked in with him and he couldn't believe that the engineer could be so vindictive. It was an open secret on the base that the Dynamic Science Duo were on the outs and Ward hated that he was the reason behind it since Fitz refused to forgive him and so by extension could not look past, what he dubbed 'Simmons' betrayal', because the Biochemist decided to forgive Ward.

Hunter simply shrugged his shoulders at tension and said:

Hunter: "Shall we? Gents...Lady...This way please..."

He mock bowed to Simmons and opened the door for her to pass first and Simmons chuckled at his antics

Simmons: "Well Chivalry isn't dead after all.."

Hunter gave her a lopsided grin and turned to Fitz

Hunter: "Mate if my best friend looked like that I'd never fight with her...Sort it out would you? Cause if you stay angry you gonna lose her..."

Judging from the surprised looks he received from Trip and Mack, this was the first time Hunter had ever said anything like this and Ward agreed with the man, Fitz's anger at Simmons was misplaced and if he kept pushing her away then he was going to lose her, no matter how Loyal and tolerant Jemma was.

Fitz glared at Hunter and stalked past him into the briefing room and Hunter looked at Mack and Trip and gave them the best mock-confused look Ward had ever seen

Hunter: "Have I said something wrong?"

Trip laughed at the Briton's antics and Mack merely chuckled

Mack: "You're right though Hunter...I dunno how they were before but He's going to lose her if he keeps holding this grudge..."

Trip: "It's sad to see them like this...I always thought they're inseparable"

Mack: "Well some things a friendship just can't survive..."

Mack gave a pointed look to Ward before entering the room and Trip merely shrugged his shoulders and gave Ward a sympathetic look before following Mack. Ward walked in a few seconds later and the stern but slightly panicked look on Coulson's face told him that Things had gone very...very wrong.

Coulson: "We lost contact with May and Skye but before we lost them May told us...She told us that...Oh Ward...I'm sorry..."

Ward: "Sir? What's going on?"

Coulson's tone had already confirmed his worst fears but until the man said the words out loud Ward refused to believe it..."

Coulson: "Skye's missing..."


	2. Chapter 2

**Title:** Facade

**Disclaimer:** This is a work of fiction adapted and based on other works of fiction .I only hold the copyrights to my imagination

**Characters:** Skye; Grant Ward; Jemma Simmons; Leo Fitz; Phil Coulson; Melinda May; Antoine Triplett; Raina; Ian Quinn; Agent Koenig; Lance Hunter, Alphonso 'Mack' Mackenzie; Original Character

**Pairings: **Skye/Grant Ward [Skye-Ward]; Grant Ward/Jemma Simmons; Jemma Simmons/Leo Fitz; Jemma Simmons Antoine & Antoine Triplett (friendship); Phil Coulson/Melinda May (implied)

**Genre: **Drama/ Angst /Romance

**Summary: ** The more things Change, the more they stay the same.

Ward has fallen after losing Skye in a mission and it's up to Jemma to catch him before he fell deeper into depression but has Ward really lost Skye? What exactly is Raina planning?

**Authors Note (A/N):** This does not follow the Current Track and Characters will be slightly OOC (out of Character)

Chapter 2

Coulson: "Skye's missing..."

Ward's jaw clenched as anger surged through him and in a split second the berserker rage, which he had worked so hard to control, had erupted and blinded him with anger. He slammed his hands against the table; the loud 'bang' echoing through the now tense room. He hunched over the table, his hands clenching around the edges of the steel slab while images of Skye, wounded or tortured or both; or worse; dead had began playing in his mind's eye and were not doing anything to calm him down. From the corner of his eye he could see Agent Triplett had his hands over his gun holster, fingers brushing the handle of the ICER ready to take action while Fitz, Mack, and Hunter had taken a step back, Hunter covering Fitz while Mack was trying to get Simmons behind him. Ward's eyes locked with Coulson's and the look of defeat in Coulson's eyes was the final straw

Ward: "She's Missing? Skye's Missing and we're here chatting about it? WHAT ARE WE DOING TO GET HER BACK?"

He was yelling now but he honestly didn't care, Coulson flinched at his tone but since the man was the director he was brave enough to continue speaking

Coulson: "Ward...we are going to do everything we can, May's on her way back...once we know more about what happened we'll bring Skye home..."

Ward: "That's not Good enough! By the time May comes back it'll be too late...We need to go get Skye NOW..."

Images of his fiancée played across his mind once again, each one more horrifying than the next, broken, battered, bruised, dead... All feeding his anger and he was so worked up he almost didn't feel it, a pair of soft hands holding the crook of his elbow, gently distracting him away from Coulson and for some reason he welcomed the distraction. He turned his face away from the director and to the source of the soft tug at his elbow and locked eyes with the team's biochemist. Jemma Simmons was the definition of 'stupidly brave' and even though Mack was right behind her, ready to spring into action if Ward attacked the girl, Simmons held her own against Ward clearly not needing assistance from anyone. She leaned in closer, her hand clenching his shoulder in a comforting way, her chin resting against his shoulder as she spoke softly to him

Jemma: "Grant...please...take a deep breath and clear your mind..."

Ward: "Simmons this is not-"

Jemma: "It's the perfect time for this...now do as I say...take a breath and clear your mind...Skye's coming home soon ok? There's no need to use your rage right now, save it...keep it for those who took Skye from us and use it to punish them..."

Her words had the desired effect because Ward could feel himself regaining control over his temper. She and Skye had this odd way of calming him down, of making him want to be better than what he was and he was grateful that Jemma was beside him right now or he could've hurt someone in his rage induced haze.

He looked up, his dark desperate eyes locking with her warm hazel ones and she gave him a reassuring smile, one that told him things were going to be ok and he actually did believe her.

Ward: "Thanks Jem..."

Jemma: "Anytime...feeling better?"

Ward: "Yeah...loads..."

Mack: "Girl, you are either the bravest or stupidest person I've met...I mean who does that?"

He turned to Hunter as he asked the question and the other guy just shrugged. Triplett had let go of his ICER and stood beside Jemma protectively and Coulson had placed his hand on Ward's other shoulder in a reassuring manner. Only Fitz remained stoic and Ward could've punched him for what the engineer said next

Fitz: "Definitely the stupidest Mack...she jumped out of a plane to save our lives once..."

Hunter turned to Simmons and raised his eyebrow, clearly confused but really impressed.

Fitz: "...she really shouldn't have though, if it meant saving a traitor then it clearly wasn't worth it..."

Jemma: "Fitz! Ward is..."  
>Fitz: "He is What Jemma? Don't pretend that you don't have nightmares about what he did to us! Don't you dare tell me that you have forgiven him completely for trying to kill us! Jemma how dare you comfort him? I thought we were friends?"<br>Jemma: "Fitz, This is not the time for this...Skye's missing and she gets top priority!"  
>Fitz: "and why do you care? May's out there and she can save Skye! There's no need to get so worked up because the traitor has feelings for Skye!"<p>

Coulson: "Fitz stand down..."

Fitz ignored Coulson and glared at Jemma before he spat out

Fitz: "I really regret calling you my friend..."

And with that he stormed out of the briefing room and all eyes fell on Jemma. Ward could tell she was devastated and she shook slightly as she trembled and struggled to contain her sobs, but she only let a small tear trickle down her cheek, a tear that Ward was about to wipe but Trip had beat him to it.

Trip: "You know he doesn't mean it Jem..."

Jemma: "I honestly don't know anymore Trip..."

Trip: "Has his temper always been this bad?"

Jemma: "Yeah...it's just weird having it directed at me..."

Coulson: "Fitz had no right to take it out on you Jemma..."

Jemma: "In a way he does...I technically betrayed him, it used to be Fitz and I against the world but because I forgave Ward and he didn't...well I am just as bad as Ward is in his eyes..."

Hunter: "That's messed up...You didn't do anything wrong, I mean I wouldn't forgive the man who nearly killed me but that's just me...I mean you have to be a bloody nice person to forgive someone after they tried to kill you..."

Mack: "Don't let Fitz get to you Jem, I'll set him straight..."

Mack had left the room and on his way out bumped into agent Koenig the shorter man smiled up at Mack before turning to Jemma

Koenig: "Dr Simmons, Agent May is in the infirmary..."

Jemma: "After you Billy..."

Jemma walked out and followed Billy to the infirmary while Coulson exchanged glances with Trip and Ward

Coulson: "How bad has it been between those two?"  
>Trip: "Well when she came back from HYDRA they had a shouting match in the lab that lasted all night, since then there's been this frosty vibe between them...I personally would not have forgiven Agent Ward if he dumped me in the ocean but Fitz has no right to take out his feelings on Jemma...She did nothing wrong sir...This was just one of the many incidents where Fitz misdirected his anger..."<p>

Ward: "Fitz was way out of line sir...if he doesn't end this now we could lose them both..."

Coulson: "Alright... Hunter I need you to keep an eye of Fitz watch him because if he can't put this behind him and do his job then there's no reason for him to be here anymore..."

Hunter: "Yes sir..."

Coulson: "And Ward, you are coming with me to the infirmary...We going to need intel to get Skye back... Trip I need you to find out why we lost contact with May and Skye during the mission...find the problem and fix it, I don't want this happening again..."

Trip: "On it Sir..."

Hunter left the room to find Fitz and Mack, Trip remained in the room to work on the Comms while Coulson and Ward headed towards the infirmary. They had just rounded the corner when they heard a string of curses in both Mandarin and English that would've made a sailor blush. They walked into the infirmary and was greeted with the sight of May, writhing on the hospital bed in pain as Jemma stood over her.

Jemma: "Billy I need The Defibrillator and atropine now!"

May: "What are you doing Jemma?"  
>Jemma: "May the bullet they shot you with released a nano-bot into your bloodstream, I think it's damaging your nervous system as it moves throughout your body, the only way I can stop it is by electrocuting it hence the Defibrillator, your heart will stop so I'm going to use the atropine, which has adrenaline, to revive you ok?"<br>May: "Just do it..."

Simmons grabbed the defibrillator from Billy and once May had lied down fully on the bed, Simmons signalled Koenig to turn on the machine and once it was charged she placed the defibrillator's paddles over May's chest and administered the charge. May's body Jerked unnaturally as the electricity surged through her and once she became still Jemma spotted a small bump on May's forearm and grabbed a scalpel then made a small incision over May's Forearm and used her fingers to pull out the nano-bot. The biochemist tossed the bot to Koenig who caught it expertly and Jemma then grabbed the syringe containing the atropine and plunged it into May's chest, the needle entering her heart, as she emptied the contents of the syringe into the older Agent. May woke seconds later with a jolt and once she calmed down she turned to Jemma

May: "Thanks Jemma, What was that thing anyway...?"

Jemma: "No idea...Bots are Fitz's area of expertise not mine..."

Koenig immediately rushed out of the infirmary with the bot in his hands; no doubt he was taking it to the engineer for analysis.

Coulson: "Glad you're ok May...Now what happened out there?"

May: "It was a set up Coulson, the building belonged to cybertek and it was empty, Raina and Quinn were waiting for us. They wanted Skye...Raina planned this whole thing to get Skye...and she's using Quinn's funding to rebuild cybertek, They killed Mike Peterson before they attacked me...He tried to save Skye but Raina was too quick for him... they didn't even care that I was still alive, once they had Skye they just upped and left..."

Coulson: "So Skye was their target...But why would they need Skye?"

Grant's mind had taken him to the basement of the barbershop in Cuba, his conversation with Raina about what Skye was..._ 'you can be monsters together...' _and he gasped when he realised why Raina wanted Skye, the realisation leaving his lips in a soft whisper

Ward: "She's an 0-8-4"

Coulson, May and Jemma turned to him Jemma oblivious to what Grant was talking about but May and Coulson's eyes lit up in recognition. Raina wanted Skye because the girl was an 0-8-4 and judging by Raina's work with Cybertek, Raina wanted to weaponize said 0-8-4 and what better weapon to use against SHIELD than a former SHIELD agent?

Jemma: "Skye's a what? Can an 0-8-4 be a person?"

Her question was met with still silence and she repeated the question, this time louder and slightly angrier

Jemma: "Can an 0-8-4 be a person? I swear to God this is why SHIELD fell apart the first time...If you lot are just going to keep secrets then I'd rather take my chances with HYDRA, at least there I definitely know my bosses are bat-shit crazy super villains..."

She snapped off her gloves and walked towards the exit, hoping her theatrics will get her some answers because there was NO WAY in hell that she was going back to HYDRA if they called her bluff; but lucky for her they fell for it hook, line and sinker. May and Coulson exchanged a look with Ward before Coulson pulled Jemma into the room and shut the door.

Coulson: 'Skye is an 0-8-4, as a baby she was found by a group of SHIELD agents in a small village in China, there was something searching for her, whatever it was it tore apart the entire village looking for her. Agent Avery, one of the agents that found Skye had brought here to the States and kept Skye hidden from whatever was hunting her by using SHIELD technology to create an algorithm that moved Skye from foster home to foster home to prevent detection now Raina thinks she knows what Skye really is and I fear that she wants to take Skye to what was hunting her all those years ago..."

May: "I think Raina's bluffing Coulson, whatever was looking for Skye destroyed that village in China if it was still out there it would've kept looking...face it, the thing isn't exactly subtle..."

Ward: "I agree with May...Raina probably wants to use Skye to hurt us, she knows we all care about her...I mean after Quinn shot her we all did everything we could to save her..."

Jemma: "Skye's an 0-8-4..."

May: "Yes Jemma...But-"

Jemma: "An 0-8-4 that was injected with GH325..."

Coulson: "I forgot about-"

Jemma: "And you lot are only TELLING ME THIS NOW? WHAT THE F**KING HELL! I SPENT HOURS, DAYS,WEEKS RESEARCHING SKYE'S BLOOD WONDERING WHY THE DRUG DIDN'T AFFECT HER LIKE IT DID GARRENT AND ALL YOU HAD TO DO WAS WALK UP TO ME AND SAY: _'HEY JEMMA GUESS WHAT...SKYE'S AN 0-8-4..._"

The biochemist was red in the face after her outburst. Coulson and Ward looked down at their shoes sheepishly while all May...well May burst out laughing...and through her laughter she managed to say

May: "I'm sorry...it's just so weird to see Jemma angry..."

But her laughter ceased when she caught sight of the murderous look that adorned Jemma's face. The girl looked dangerous, she had this fire in her eyes that Ward had never seen before and it surprised him because Jemma Simmons was not one to anger quickly. Jemma's voice dropped to an eerie whisper as she ground out her next question

Jemma: "Director Coulson...what is the protocol when locating an 0-8-4?"

Coulson looked at the biochemist, clearly stunned that the girl was speaking to him in that manner but answered the question

Coulson: "SHIELD Handbook Chapter 94, Section36 Subsection (a) and 0-8-4 must be reported and handed over to the field teams scientists for evaluation immediately upon procurement for..."

Jemma: "For identification of the objects materials, evaluations for the risk of danger and tagging...yes Tagging in case the 0-8-4 is lost during transportation to the nearest SHIELD facility..."

May: "We tag 0-8-4s?"

Jemma: "Not really...people seem to forget that part of the provision BUT had I known Skye was an 0-8-4 Fitz and I could have found her in seconds if _protocol _had been followed..."

Coulson: "I wasn't going to let you tag Skye like some stray animal..."

Jemma: "Yeah...like you really didn't want to put that tracking bracelet on her after she betrayed us and tipped off Miles?"

May gave Coulson a look which said _'Girl's got a point'_ but Coulson stood his ground. He was about to counter Jemma's argument when Ward spoke up

Ward: "Ok so you didn't tag her and I promise when we get her back you can follow protocol and tag her so I never lose her again but can you find her now Jemma?"

Jemma: "Depends...was she wearing the bracelet I gave her for her birthday?"  
>Ward: "The white gold one?"<p>

Jemma: "That's the one..."

Ward: "No she wasn't...wait a minute...You put a tracker in her bracelet?"

Jemma: "I put trackers in all of your presents, Skye's bracelet, Coulson's cufflinks, May's watch, Fit's tie pin, Trip's neck chain and yours, Ward, is in your engagement ring...I knew that one of you was bound to do something stupid at one point so Skye, Fitz and I decided to tag everyone in case someone was kidnapped or went missing...It was Skye's idea...she said that Eric tagged the lanyards at providence and if it wasn't for that she wouldn't have figured out that Ward killed him...and after Fitz and I were left at the bottom of the ocean she became paranoid...she needed to know where we all were in case something awful happened and we needed rescuing..oh and if you're all wondering my tracker is in the pendant of my necklace..."

Simmons pulled out the necklace from under her collar and May examined the brilliant ruby encased elegantly in platinum. At first May thought it was a trick of the light when she had seen the Jewel's red hue glow for a second but immediately realised that the Gem's deep red colour was hiding the flashing light of a small tracker.

May: "As angry as I am with you guys, I do understand why you did it...but right now finding Skye is top priority..."

Jemma: "If Raina wants Skye because she's an 0-8-4 I can think of two reasons why Skye is important..."

Coulson: "Do tell..."

Jemma: "Number one, Skye's been injected with GH325, and judging by what happened to Garret Raina wants to use Skye's gift as a weapon against Shield because she knows that we won't hurt Skye. The second is-"

Simmons was cut off by the ringing of Coulson's phone who was about to ignore it but the call answered automatically while and Ward's jaw clenched when he heard who was in the other end of the line when Coulson switched on the loud speaker

Raina: "The second reason why I could want Skye Agent Simmons is irrelevant...I have no need for that thing..."

Coulson: "What are you talking about Raina?"  
>Ward: "I don't care what she's talking about! Raina where is Skye?"<p>

Raina: "Mmmh seems like Agent Simmons didn't tell you all the good news? Did Skye ask you to keep it quiet until she told Grant?"

May: "What good news?"

Jemma: "Raina stop playing games...where is Skye?"

Raina: "The more important thing you should be asking is what I'm going to do with it...You know I could dissect it, or experiment with it but unfortunately its useless to me...it's been corrupted by Grant..."

Ward: "What the hell are you talking about Raina?"

Raina: "Your Child ofcourse..."

Ward's eyes widened in shock as did May's and Coulson's, Skye was pregnant and Ward was the father

Ward: "You're lying...It's a trap.."

Raina: "If you don't believe me ask Agent Simmons...I'm sure she knew all about the baby since she was with Skye when she got the good news..."

All eyes fell on Jemma and when the biochemist shrugged in defeat Ward lost it

Ward: "You KNEW about This?And you let her go into the field?"

Jemma: "It was a non combat op and Skye insisted... and when has she ever listened to me Grant?"

Raina: "Don't yell at Jemma, Skye made the choice on her own to go on this mission...now about this baby, it's of no use to me because it's been corrupted by Grant's filthy blood...but do you want it Grant? Because if you don't I'll be more than happy to rid Skye of the burden..."

Coulson: "Don't you dare..."

Raina: "Why don't we hear what Skye wants mmmhh?"

The was silence on the other end for a second until Skye's piercing scream filled the void

Skye: "No NO please...please Don't...NOOOO!"

Raina: "What do you want Skye? Do you want this child or should I get rid of it?"

Skye: "Raina please...please don't..not my baby..please..."

The other Agents heard Skye's broken and pleading sobs and their anger at Raina increased

Raina: "You see Skye I don't want or need the Child but Grant is on the line and he seems to be undecided..."

Skye: "Grant? Grant! Save or child please...Please! Don't worry about me...Just Save-"

Skye was cut off by something and it was a few seconds before Raina spoke once more

Raina: "You have a choice Grant...The baby or Skye...because you won't have both...make a decision soon before I'm forced to decide for you..."

May: "You Bitch-"

The line clicked as the call ended. Each person stated at the phone in shock and it was only seconds before Ward sank to his knees and roared in frustration.

Jemma took one look at her devastated friend, turned to Coulson and said

Jemma: "We need to bring Skye home...and Fast"


	3. Chapter 3

**Title:** Facade

**Disclaimer:** This is a work of fiction adapted and based on other works of fiction .I only hold the copyrights to my imagination

**Characters:** Skye; Grant Ward; Jemma Simmons; Leo Fitz; Phil Coulson; Melinda May; Antoine Triplett; Raina; Ian Quinn; Agent Koenig; Lance Hunter, Alphonso 'Mack' Mackenzie; Original Character

**Pairings: **Skye/Grant Ward [Skye-Ward]; Grant Ward/Jemma Simmons; Jemma Simmons/Leo Fitz; Jemma Simmons Antoine & Antoine Triplett (friendship); Phil Coulson/Melinda May (implied)

**Genre: **Drama/ Angst /Romance

**Summary: ** The more things Change, the more they stay the same.

Ward has fallen after losing Skye in a mission and it's up to Jemma to catch him before he fell deeper into depression but has Ward really lost Skye? What exactly is Raina planning?

**Authors Note (A/N):** This does not follow the Current Track and Characters will be slightly OOC (out of Character)

Chapter 3

Nearly nine months have passed since Raina placed the call to Agent Coulson and the girl in the flower dress smirked to herself at her genius. The line she had called from was literally untraceable thus she would never hear Grant's decision because there was no opportunity for him to tell her. With Quinn's Funding, Raina had kept moving bases making it impossible for Agent Coulson and his team to find her and by extension Skye. Right now Raina was at Quinn's base in Malta, waiting outside the infirmary as Skye went into labour. Sure it was a taxing nine months since Raina couldn't torture Skye, but that didn't mean Raina had no plans to make the SHIELD agent suffer... Whatever scheme Raina had planned involved Skye's baby and once the child was born Raina would then turn her attention towards breaking Skye's loyalty to SHIELD. Raina could not help but smile as Skye's pained cries filled the air _'The sweet sound of a plan falling in place'_ Raina mused as her smile broadened with each passing hour.

Her only threats where Coulson and May. Together with their battalion of SHIELD loyalists, the two older SHIELD agents had torn apart base after base searching for the young hacker but because of Quinn's limitless bank balance Raina had always remained one step ahead that and since Coulson's Star hacker was currently screaming bloody murder in the compound's infirmary and the dynamic Science Duo was on the outs there was no one gifted enough with sufficient time on their hands to out manoeuvre her . But more dangerous than Coulson and May was Ward and Raina needed this child to keep him occupied.

With Grant Ward playing daddy, he'd be too busy to help SHIELD destroy Cybertek thus Raina needed the child alive but it wasn't necessary to let Skye know this little fact. She sniggered at the thought when the infirmary door clicked open and the doctor walked out, with a small bundle wrapped in a crème blanket.

Doctor: "Congratulations...It's a boy..."

Raina Smirked as the doctor handed her the screaming infant

Raina: "How wonderful..."

Skye was exhausted, it has been nine months since Raina kidnapped her and every night she prayed that they find her soon. She missed Coulson and his adorable nostalgia over Captain America memorabilia, She missed May and her strong comforting Silence, She missed Trip and his jovial nature, She missed FitzSimmons and their scientific banter but most of all she missed Grant. Her heart clenched at the end of every month that went by because she knew that he was missing everything about her pregnancy and as her due date neared Skye knew that he was going to miss the birth of their child. So she cried every night not because she was uncomfortable because Raina spared no expense for the last few months to keep her restful. Her captor gave in to her every whim the proof being that she was keeping Skye in a luxury bedroom with a round the clock nurse instead of a dark and dingy cell. She cried because she missed her family, she missed her love and she knew that they would not rest until they found her. But now her heart ached for something else, it ached for her son, the child she had yet to lay eyes on and she was about to lift herself off the bed to go in search of her baby when Raina walked in, her expression solemn and her arms carrying a very still, blanket wrapped bundle.

Raina: "I'm so sorry Skye...we lost the baby..."

Raina was a talented actress, she hid her smirk and conjured fake tears to make her performance believable, she even coupled it was a solemn expression to drive her deception home

Skye: "No...NO...I heard him cry! I saw him moving!"

Raina: "Skye...I'm sorry...There was a problem, his windpipe was closing and we tried to open it up so he could breathe but we failed...I'm sorry...I'm so so Sorry..."

Raina pretended to choke back a sob before she wiped the fake tears running down her cheeks. _'What a fool...her baby is alive and well, but there's no need for her to know that...not yet at least...Skye will know that her child is alive when the time is right, after the child has served my purpose...'_

Skye grabbed the bundle in Raina's arms and stared in horror at the still and cold infant in the blanket, She then tried to listen for a heartbeat and she wailed in defeat when she heard nothing. _'Keep searching for a heartbeat Skye...you won't find one, Life model decoys are not alive until they are activated you see...now I wonder if Quinn got Skye's life model decoy ready it's time for phase two of my plan...'_

Raina: "I'll give you a moment..."

Raina got up and left the room and had just closed the soundproof door behind her when she saw Ian Quinn holding the squirming bundle in his arms

Raina: "He has his father's handsome features and his mother's eyes...they're full of wonder and mischief..."

Quinn: "What are you going to do with it Raina?"

Raina: "A child is a distraction Quinn, for the last few months Grant Ward has caused the most damage to our Cybertek facilities, it's time we gave him something else to focus on...is the video ready?"

Quinn: "Yes...Skye's decoy was filmed dying just as you asked...making her 'die' while giving birth was genius Raina..."

Raina: "I know...now find a way to send both the child and the decoy to SHIELD..."

Quinn: "I'm on it..."

Quinn's method included a low flying Quinjet making a body drop over the Coulson's team's current base, the playground. The decoy in a body bag and the baby resting just above, securely tied to it in a carrier that was connected to a remote control parachute and in its carrier Quinn had placed the flash-drive with the video of Skye's death along with a note from Raina. He looked down at the base and as expected their radar systems had picked up the Quinjet and the team had rushed up to the roof to take it down so he opened the Cargo hold and walked over to the baby tied to the body bag and looked down at the sleeping infant

Quinn: "I'm so sorry little one..."

He then tossed the body out the cargo hold and within seconds he could see Agents Ward and Mack running towards it with Agent Simmons while the rest of the team opened fire at the Jet. He sped off into the night knowing that the baby was safe now...because he was with his family.

Simmons was the first person to see the body bag but she had also seen the baby carrier attached to it so she ran forward with Mack and Ward as they rushed to catch the bag. Ward needed her by his side right now because if Jemma was right and it was Skye in the body bag Ward would be devastated and she had no idea if he could come back from a blow like this. In the last few months he became determined to find Skye, he was ruthless and efficient destroying base after base as he looked for Skye, as her SO he trained her harder but as her friend he became distant and withdrawn and it was clear that his only civil conversations were those that he had with her, so eventually Coulson had began asking her to give Ward his mission dossiers because no one else would dare speak to the man.

Jemma knew that Ward wanted a family, that he wanted children because for Ward having a family meant starting over and rectifying the errors of his past. It meant leaving behind the little boy whose elder brother bullied and beat him and his younger brother; it meant a new chance at happiness and for Ward, Skye was the one he was most happy with. So if Skye was gone, Ward would not be able to handle it and now there was the child to think of.

Jemma reached the bag before Ward or Mack and tearfully smiled at the infant strapped to it, sleeping peacefully in its make-shift cradle. She quickly checked its vitals and once satisfied that it was healthy she unstrapped it from the bag and turned to Ward

Jemma: "I believe this is yours Agent Ward..."

Ward took his son in his arms and held the infant close to him, taking the child in his protective embrace. Jemma watched him carefully and knew that she needed to distract him before she opened the body bag so she said

Jemma: "Grant take him inside now...it's cold out here and it's not good for him..."

Grant looked at the body bag and Jemma could tell he was conflicted

Jemma: "If it's her...I promise I will tell you..."

He nodded and smiled gratefully at her before he walked back into the base clutching his child protectively with Billy hot on his heels. May, Coulson and Hunter had caught up with Mack and Simmons just as Jemma pulled open the zip of the body bag and covered her mouth in her hands to drown the sob that escaped her lips. Fitz was the last to join them and he cried along with the rest of them as they gazed down at Skye's still face. Coulson roared in anger while May punched the nearest wall, Trip and Hunter softly hid their tears and Fitz sank to his knees and cried. Mack's face was wet with tears but he kept his gaze on Jemma, who had stopped crying. Jemma had spotted the envelope that Quinn left the note and the flash drive in and called out

Jemma: "Fitz...Fitz I need a laptop!"

Fitz magically produced a Laptop as Jemma ripped open the envelope and tossed him the flash drive, she then pulled out Raina's note and read it

'_**Good luck Dad...turns out the thing I didn't want was the thing that lived...maybe it'll be of more use to you...'**_

Jemma felt sick, she knew that the note was a taunt meant for Grant but she had decided in that moment that Ward would never see that note because Jemma had already figured out how Skye had died. Fitz had already connected the flash drive to the laptop and the team watched in horror as the screen showed them Skye, in a dingy cell clearly in pain and giving birth but once she had given birth she passed out and the doctors tried to revive her. Words like 'internal bleeding' and 'haemorrhaging' were heard and then the deafening sound of a flat lining ekg filled their ears. Fitz Shut the Laptop off and tossed it to the ground breaking it as it came in contact with ground. They were all silent for the next few minutes until Jemma spoke

Jemma: "He must never know...Ward must never know..."

Coulson: "Jemma they sent us her body! He's going to find out that Skye's dead eventually!"

Jemma: "Ward must never know how Skye died..."

And with that she walked into the base, remembering a conversation she had with Ward during their search for Skye

_*Flashback six months ago*_

_Jemma was pinned to the floor of the training room by Grant for the umpteenth time that day_

_Jemma: "I swear I'm getting better at this..."_

_Ward: "Fighting?"_

_Jemma: "No...Falling..."_

_And with that Ward smiled for the first time in months as he helped her to her feet_

_Jemma: "Well at least I got you to smile, nice to see someone is enjoying my pain..."_

_Ward: "No it's just...well Skye said the same thing once..."_

_And with that the smile vanished, Jemma gave him a chaste hug and spoke to him once they broke apart_

_Jemma: "We're going to find her ok? I'm not busting my arse training so we can lose her...She's coming back to you...I can feel it..."_

_Ward: "But what if she doesn't...Raina has both my fiancée and my child Jemma..she could hurt them..or worse, kill them..."_

_Jemma: "Grant, Raina is many things but she's not a killer..."_

_Ward: "That's my child Jemma...and I can't protect it...I'm a terrible father..."_

_Jemma: "You're going to be the best father in the world...trust me...and if you screw up the tyke's cool aunty Jemma will save him, ok? Cause face it, you and Skye are going to smother the munchkin..."_

_Ward: "We will not!"_

_Jemma: "Yeah right!"  
>Ward: "And its Ass...not Arse..."<em>

_Jemma: "In Britain it's Arse..."_

_Ward: "Well in America it's Ass..."_

_They both shared a look before they burst out laughing and once the laughter died down Ward turned to her and spoke_

_Ward: "Thank you Jemma...for everything...I know that things between you and Fitz aren't great and you've been working round the clock either in the Lab or here training but you still find time to keep me grounded, to make me feel like everything is going to be ok..."_

_Jemma: "It's no problem Grant...I'll always be there...to catch you if you fall... And I know everything's going to be alright because I know Raina's not going to harm Skye or the child...because if she was going to she would've killed the child the minute she heard about it but she didn't...She's planning something, I know it..."_

_*End flash Back*_

The memory ended as Jemma walked into the infirmary, and was greeted with the sight or Ward and Koenig struggling to quieten the now screaming infant. Jemma controlled her emotions and spoke

Jemma: "Billy... he's probably hungry, there's some formula milk in the pantry with instructions on how to make it could you please take him for a minute, I need to Talk to agent Ward..."

Koenig had immediately left with the child, Leaving Jemma and Ward alone in the room

Ward: "What is it Jem? It's Skye isn't it? No...No She can't be..."

Jemma: "I'm sorry Grant..."

Ward yelled in frustration and Sank to his knees, his body overcome with sobs and Jemma rushed towards him and held him as he cried.

Ward: "I failed her! I failed them! Everyone I love dies! Everything I touch is destroyed..."

Jemma: "That's not true Grant...That's not true.."

But Ward was not listening to her, he pushed her off and grabbed the nearest scalpel and brandished it like a dagger. He was about to plunge it into the vein in his wrist but Jemma grabbed his arm and tried to stop the blade from piercing his skin. Ward was clearly stronger than her and was about to plunge the blade into his wrist when Jemma's other hand caught the blade's edge and held it still, her blood trickling down as she clenched her fingers around the blade and Ward stared at her in shock.

Ward: "What are you doing? Leave me alone Jemma...Let go!"

Jemma: "No...for the last nine months all you've harped in about was how you wanted to be a better person, how you wanted your child to have a better life than yours so I can't let you do this...Killing yourself is not the answer Grant..."

Ward: "But she's gone! She's gone because I couldn't protect her...I don't deserve to live..."

And that was how May and Coulson found them, Ward's words echoing through the room and Jemma's bloodied hand around a blade.

Jemma: "And why don't you deserve to live Grant? This wasn't your fault...it was Raina's and I'll be damned if you blame yourself for her actions. Ward you told me that once this child is born you were going to be there for it, you promised me that Skye's child will not be abandoned like she was...Dammit Grant..The boy just lost his mother, don't take away his father too..."

Grant: "Skye was the only good thing in my life Jemma...and now she's gone...It's pointless to keep on living..."

Jemma: "What about your son Ward...because I know for a fact that he's yours...he has your face but Skye's eyes...how would Skye feel if you abandoned her Child huh? Imagine what Skye would think?"

May and Coulson walked in and Coulson Pulled Grant up of the floor and gave him a fatherly hug while May grabbed the first aid kit and began bandaging Jemma's hand. May scowled at Jemma's bloodied hand and expressionlessly said

May: "If Ward can't handle it...protocol says that the child must be sent away..."

Grant pushed Coulson off and yelled at May

Grant: "NO! You Will NOT TAKE HIM AWAY!"

May had finished tying the bandage around Jemma's hand, she stood up and faced Grant, her expression vacant her body poised to defend herself if necessary

May: "Grant...You're unstable, you can't handle a child in this condition..."

Coulson could see Ward's entire world shatter before him and SHIELD's new director decided that protocols could be broken

Coulson: "May...we can make an exception..."

May turned to the other man and scowled, clearly outraged that Coulson could even suggest such a thing. In times like this, the child's safety was paramount and there was no way May could guarantee that the child would be safe with a volatile guardian like Grant Ward

May: "No Coulson we can't, Ward's Suicidal...he has been for a while now, this isn't the first time he's tried to kill himself, he slit his wrists three months into Skye's disappearance and then six months later he tried again...you can see the cuts on his arms Coulson...He's Unstable and clearly can't care for a child...besides he can't raise a child here on a base...No child should grow up here so he's going to leave with his son and once he's away who's going to make sure he doesn't kill himself and the child...So NO we can't make an exception, the child must be sent away for its own safety..."

There was silence for a few seconds while Ward contemplated what May had just said, he knew that May was right but he could not bring himself to part with the last reminder he had of Skye. He was about to openly voice his agreement with May when Jemma spoke up

Jemma: "I'll do it...I'll help Ward...I'll make sure he doesn't kill himself, I'll make sure the child is safe and has a normal childhood..."

Grant: "Jemma...you don't..."

Jemma: "I do... I promised Skye that I'll take care of her family, She was going to name me as the child's godmother anyway...I promised Skye that I'll make sure her family was safe..."

Jemma turned and Faced Grant and spoke with a clear determination in her voice

Jemma: "... and I promised you Grant that I'd catch you if you fell...Grant this child is everything you and Skye had ever dreamed of and I know that if he's taken from you there's no reason for you to keep living so that's why I won't let anyone separate the two of you..."

Coulson watched as Jemma had once again surprised him with her bravery

Coulson: "That's very admirable Jemma..."

May huffed at Jemma's offer, the biochemist definitely had a self-sacrificing hero complex but May wanted the younger agent to have all the information before gambling her life away

May: "That's fine Simmons, it really is... but once you leave this base, you are going to need custody of the child cause if Ward tries to kill himself again social services will take the child and place it in foster care...So how are you going to fix that? By the time you apply and get custody it will be too late, Ward doesn't consciously hurt himself, he gets blinded by the beserker rage and since he can't harm anyone around him he harms himself...so how long until someone else finds out that he's suicidal and takes the child away?"

But now since there was a way for Grant to latch onto happiness, Coulson had immediately come up with a solution to the pressing flaw in Jemma's resolute plan.

Coulson: "Marriage will give her immediate custody...We've been absent from the outside world for a while, if we pretend that the child is Jemma's no one will question it because no one can prove otherwise...The timeline fits May, Jemma has not left the base in months she's always running comms with Fitz because both of them are still not ready for combat ops...all we have to do is get them a marriage licence, register the child's birth and no one will ask any questions..."

'_Marriage...has Coulson lost it? Jemma is still young and Grant...well Grant is emotionally unstable and prone to acts of unspeakable violence...Jemma is not capable of handling him! I'm surprised Skye could handle him but then again he loved Skye and Love can chain the fiercest of beasts...but Jemma? Grant could kill her in a rage and there's no way I'm going to just let that happen...'_

May: "But Phil, what if Jemma doesn't-"

Jemma: "I'll do it...Where do I sign?"

May stared astonished at the biochemist _'Self sacrificing...the girl is stupidly brave...Fine, if she has decided to be Grant's wife then there's no way we're going to keep our distance, Maybe I could convince Coulson to drop in on them from time to time...just to make sure they're alright?'_

Coulson was stunned into silence, a proud silence, but silence nonetheless while Ward simply stared at Jemma in disbelief

Ward: "No...NO... I couldn't ask you to..."

Jemma: "Good thing you're not asking then Grant...So, Grant Ward...will you Marry me?"

And it was at that moment that Fitz walked in and dropped the tablet he was holding in shock. Mack walked in seconds after with the sleeping infant in his arms

Mack: "It took a while but we fed him and put him to sleep, Hunter got burped on so it was all good...What did I just walk into?"

Fitz glared at his former best friend and spat out

Fitz: "Jemma's marrying a traitor..."

The biochemist sighed and tried to make him see reason

Jemma: "Fitz..."

Watching Jemma defend Grant yet again after everything the specialist had done to them caused the engineer's blood to boil

Fitz: "You're throwing your life Away! And for him of all people!"

Fitz held his stance, keeping his eyes fixed on Jemma, who now had a spark of anger reflected in her eyes. Fitz could see the bloodied bandage around her hand and his anger at Grant intensified, because he knew...deep down that Grant was the reason Jemma was hurt so he lashed out at her when she defended the man that betrayed them

Jemma: "Fitz! Stop! This has nothing to do with you!"

Fitz: "IT DOES! IT HAS EVERYTHING TO DO WITH ME!"

Jemma just glared at him and waited for her best friend to continue

Fitz: "I love you Jemma, I always have..."

Jemma: "Yeah...well you've got a funny way of Showing it! You've been nothing but horrible to me for the last year so forgive me if I don't believe you..."

Mack, Coulson and May watched them quietly, Ward had his eyes fixed on Jemma and knew that helping him meant that Jemma was throwing away her friendship with Fitz and he could not let her make anymore sacrifices for him

Ward: "Jemma...please...Fitz is your friend, you can't just turn you back on him... I won't allow you to ruin your friendship because of me..."

Jemma: "He hasn't been my friend in a while, he turned his back on me close to a year ago...and I'm not ruining anything Grant...Fitz took care of that already..."

And with that she glared at Fitz before gesturing to Mack to hand over the child who did so diligently and together they both walked out of the infirmary.

Fitz turned to Ward and growled

Fitz: "Haven't you taken enough from me?"

Coulson: "Fitz you are dismissed..."

Fitz Growled as he stormed out and May turned to Ward and spoke

May: "Ward it's your decision...Are you going to Marry her?"

Ward: "I don't know May...If I do this then I'm betraying Skye and Jemma...well Jemma is destroying her friendship with Fitz but If I don't do this then it's very likely that I'll lose the last piece of Skye I have left..I'll lose my son..."

Coulson: "Ward no one is forcing you to do anything..."

Ward: "Skye would want me to give our child the childhood she never had...But I can't burden Jemma with this...She's ruining her life for me..."

May: "One thing I've learnt about Jemma Simmons is that not only is she Stupidly brave she is also fiercely loyal and stubbornly honourable...She made a promise to Skye and I know that she will keep her promise..."

Ward: "I'll do it...for Skye...to give my son a better life..."


	4. Chapter 4

**Title:** Facade

**Disclaimer:** This is a work of fiction adapted and based on other works of fiction .I only hold the copyrights to my imagination

**Characters:** Skye; Grant Ward; Jemma Simmons; Leo Fitz; Phil Coulson; Melinda May; Antoine Triplett; Raina; Ian Quinn; Agent Koenig; Lance Hunter, Alphonso 'Mack' Mackenzie; Original Character

**Pairings: **Skye/Grant Ward [Skye-Ward]; Grant Ward/Jemma Simmons; Jemma Simmons/Leo Fitz; Jemma Simmons Antoine & Antoine Triplett (friendship); Phil Coulson/Melinda May (implied)

**Genre: **Drama/ Angst /Romance

**Summary: ** The more things Change, the more they stay the same.

Ward has fallen after losing Skye in a mission and it's up to Jemma to catch him before he fell deeper into depression but has Ward really lost Skye? What exactly is Raina planning?

**Authors Note (A/N):** This does not follow the Current Track and Characters will be slightly OOC (out of Character)

I Know, I Know that We already know Grant's little Brother's name is Thomas but When I planned the story his name was still unknown to us so I named him Gabriel but since this is fan fiction I'm taking liberties with the details

Chapter 4

It was a simple ceremony with only the team in attendance. Naturally Fitz boycotted it and since Jemma insisted that she just wanted to sign the papers and get it over with...The team went into the nearest city (Boston) to prepare for the small ceremony, May and Coulson bought the rings and the very next day they all went down to city hall. Grant signed where he was told to sign and placed the ring in Jemma's finger when asked to and felt the cool metal of his own ring against his finger as Jemma slid his ring onto his finger.

They did not kiss; they simply smiled curtly at each other. He had on a simple black suit with no tie and Jemma wore a simple crème dress. Nothing about it indicated that a wedding was taking place but the marriage licence in Ward's hand said otherwise. The team had dropped them off at one of May's safe houses in the area for some privacy now that they were man and wife. May and Coulson headed to the British embassy to file Jemma's paperwork for citizenship while the rest headed back to the base. Jemma was sitting on the couch in the small but cozy living room rocking his, no their, son to sleep.

Grant watched her in fascination, Jemma had never ceased to amaze him and once again he felt grateful that he had her as his friend

Jemma: "So...Are you ready to go on our Journey into mystery?"  
>Ward chuckled as she tried to recreate their first meeting and he couldn't help but say<p>

Ward: "like Christmas..."

Jemma: "I have a confession to make..."

Ward stared at her, _'oh no..it's too much for her...she's going to bail...'_

Ward: "Jemma it's ok-"

Jemma: "May and Coulson were applying for his birth certificate and I asked them to name him Gabriel, after your little brother...I hope that's alright..Skye told me one that you wanted to name your son Gabriel so..."

Ward: "It's perfect...thank you. Can I take him?"

Jemma smiled and handed the boy over to his father.

Jemma: "So this is really happening...Grant I just want you to know that I don't expect anything from you and we can live as strangers if you want...but I promise I'll be there for Gabe..."

Ward: "Jemma you've done soo much for us...I don't think I could ever repay you..."

Jemma: "You're my friend and Skye's like my sister...I didn't do anything great...all I did was sign some papers..."

Ward: "You did more than that...you gave us a second chance..."

Jemma walked over to her new husband and cooed at the baby in his arms

Jemma: "he's going to be soo spoilt...Coulson's already buying him Captain America onesies, Trip has appointed himself as 'cool uncle' and I Saw May playing 'peek-a-boo' with him earlier...As for Mack and Hunter well they won't even let me anywhere near his formula..."

Ward knew that she avoided bringing up Fitz but he could tell that she was hurt that her best friend in the world was not supporting her.

Ward: "Jemma, about Fitz...he's a little angry right now, but once he realises that he's being an ass, sorry _arse_, about this whole thing he'll come round...when he realises what an amazing thing you're doing he'll forgive you...it's just...I'm ruining your life..."

Jemma: "Grant...you are not doing any such thing...I'll catch you if you fall remember...You saved my life once and nothing that I do can make up for that... No let's go to bed, I'm exhausted...so how do you want to do this? The couch is small and I'm fine on the couch really..."

Ward: "No...How about on the bed with Gabe between us? I can't sleep if I'm away from him and I know you can't either...I saw Bashful hovering over his crib the other night..."

Jemma smiled sheepishly as he mentioned the D.W.A.R.F. and turned to ready the bed. Grant didn't know why he said it but he blurted out

Ward: "Jemma...Skye's gone...She's not coming back... Jemma...am I...am I a bad person? I mean it hasn't been a week since Skye passed away and here I am married to someone else..."

She could see the self loathing in his eyes, the uncertainty that troubled him and she knew where it lead if it was left unchecked

Jemma: "you're not a bad person Grant...you're a man who loves his son and frankly you haven't moved on with me...Our marriage is only real on paper...You married me not because you love me but because you love your son and frankly I don't think Skye's dead...I mean I examined the body that Raina dropped off and I'm convinced it's not Skye...So until Skye returns I will be sticking around because the minute she gets back I want a divorce..."

Grant: "Jemma...How can you be so sure that Skye's coming back...we saw the body and the DNA matched!"

Jemma: "I just know Ok? I know you love Skye and after the hell you've been through its highly unlikely that your love story ends like this, with Skye gone and you stuck here with a woman you don't love raising your son. I refuse to allow it to end like this...so I'm here temporarily until Skye gets back and once she does I'll hand you over to Skye and be out of your life forever..."

Grant: "Thank you again Jem... You truly are an amazing friend..."

Jemma took the sleeping infant from his arms while Ward went to change into his sleepwear and when he returned dressed in pyjama bottoms and a tee shirt she had left to change. He could tell that she meant every word she said because she emerged dressed in adorable flannel pyjamas and not the sexy lingerie that a new bride would wear to seduce her husband on her wedding night. Jemma saw the look in his eyes and scoffed

Jemma: "Expecting something else?"

Ward: "Nope...not really..."

Skye sat around her room moping and mourning the loss of her child, when she had found out that she was giving birth to a boy, she had immediately started referring to him as Gabriel, after Grant's younger brother, and her heart clenched when Raina had told her that the baby had passed away. Since then she had remained in this room crying and praying for her team to find her so she could be in Grant's arms once again.

She was not expecting the door to swing open and Raina to walk in with a smile on her face

Raina: "Skye I know you're hurting but I have some news for you...it's good news I promise..."

Skye: "What is it Raina?"  
>Raina: "Well your Friend Jemma got married today and I managed to get a picture of the happy couple...want a look?"<p>

Raina extracted a photograph and handed it over to Skye and she relished the look of shock on Skye's face as the girl saw the photograph

Skye: "But this...this is..."  
>Raina: "Grant? Yes Skye, she married Grant and look how happy they are..."<p>

Raina glanced down at the picture and grinned, Her assistant had taken the picture at the exact moment that Jemma and Grant had smiled at each other, to any observer they looked happy and in love but Raina knew the truth but it was important that Skye think her fiancée and friend had betrayed her,. _'If she is to turn against SHIELD I need her to hate them...it'll be easier for me to destroy SHIELD with Skye by my side than with her against me...'_

Raina: "They've moved on...they forgot about you Skye...No one's coming..."

Skye: "You're lying!"

Raina: "I'm not...Jemma even had his child...oops...I shouldn't have said that...with you mourning your lost son...but now at least Grant has that son he always wanted..."

Skye's body was wracked with Sobs as she wailed in devastatingly as Raina filled her head with lies. Raina walked out, Satisfied that she was moving closer to her goal her elation drowning out Skye's pitiful sobs as the door slammed behind her.

*Flash Forward- Two Years*

Grant Ward was married, not happily married, but he couldn't complain. His wife was amazing, and he was grateful that he had married his best friend. Jemma Catherine Elizabeth Simmons-Ward was sitting with their two year-old son Gabriel on their garden bench as she bandaged his newly scraped knee. The little tyke had stopped crying a while back and Grant marvelled at how brilliant Jemma was with him. The boy had his features and was a mini replica of him but he had his mother's eyes..._her _eyes...Skye's eyes...

They had moved out of the new Shield base nearly a year ago to this sprawling Baronial-Style Mansion that Jemma had found Just outside Boston's City centre. The two-story Mansion sat at the heart of a fifty acre plot and boasted a twelve bedrooms, a Ballroom, a massive bar, a Grand dining room, a massive study, vast balconies on the second floor, a sun room, a pool and multiple greenhouses and many other luxurious features fit for royalty. But those were the features that the world knew about...apparently Jemma had bought the home a while back using both hers and Grant's savings, and renovated before she told Grant about the property. Now the large home had included a training room, a massive gym, a huge laboratory for Jemma, and various armouries around the premises over and above the briefing room and conference wing. He remembered days when she'd sneak off and make hushed phone calls and it used to bother him because he had believed that she was having second thoughts until one day, after a mission, she pulled him aside with their son in her arms and took him to the Mansion

_*Flash Back One Year ago*_

_Grant had just returned from the mission and he had no idea what Hunter was complaining about, according to him the mission was a success and he wanted nothing more than to see his son after a long day. So while Trip, May and Hunter went to brief Coulson, Ward went off in search of his son and after a few seconds he spotted his wife, and Mack locked in a fierce battle of chess in the new base's rec room (since the Playground's location had been compromised) while Gabe giggled happily as his brilliant mother mercilessly defeated the team's mechanic. _

_Gabe had spotted his father and gurgled happily breaking Jemma's concentration and she smiled when she saw Grant_

_Jemma: "Oh Good...you're home... How was the mission?"_

_Grant: "Fine...So discovered anything new today?"_

_Jemma: "Yup...Mack sucks at chess..."_

_Mack: "I do NOT! I'm playing a genius here... cut me some slack!"_

_Jemma and Gabe laughed at his dramatic outburst while Ward simply chuckled. _

_Ward: "Thanks Mack for watching them..."_

_Mack: "No problem mate..."_

_Mack had left to give the family some privacy and Jemma walked up to her husband and gave him a chaste kiss on the cheek in greeting. That was the extent of their affection for each other, small hugs and kisses on the cheek or forehead. They shared a bed at the base to keep up appearances (and because of the new base's lack of space) but were never intimate and Grant had become so accustomed to her small body beside him that if she spent a late night in the lab he grew restless. They were the epitome of 'platonic' yet Grant couldn't help but feel like he had betrayed Skye by bringing Jemma to his bed._

_Jemma broke him away from his thoughts when she cleared her throat to grab his attention_

_Jemma: "So I have a surprise for you and I've asked Coulson's permission to take the Quinjet...you know how to fly it right?"_

_Grant: "Well yeah..."_

_Jemma: "Good...let's go...I packed already"_

_Grant: "Where?"  
>Jemma: "Boston...you need to see this..." <em>

_Grant: "Ok..."_

_He helped her load their small bags into the Quinjet then took their son's bag from her as she climbed into the aircraft and once he set the co-ordinates that she gave him into the plane's systems they had an hour journey before he saw the magnificent __Scottish Baronial style_ _mansion that they would soon call their home_

_Once they landed in front of the Mansion and exited the plane, Jemma held a sleeping Gabriel against her as she spoke_

_Jemma: "I know I said that I was against everything Boston stands for because, I consider this city responsible for the single greatest wastage of tea in History but...you're from Massachusetts and I wanted you to feel close to home..."_

_Ward: "Jemma what is this place?"  
>Jemma: "Our new home...I promised you that I'd give Gabe a normal childhood and this is me living up to that..."<em>

_Ward: "When did...How did..."_

_Jemma: "Well six months after our wedding I pooled our savings and bought this place, then I renovated and now it's finally ready...I do think you'll like what I've done with the place..."_

_They entered the huge Mansion and Jemma gave him the grand tour. _

_Grant was touched at how considerate and thorough Jemma had been when designing their home. He stopped at fireplace in the private sitting room and saw one of the pictures that Jemma had placed on the Mantelpiece, the picture was of him and Skye kissing lovingly as Fitz snuck up and took the picture. He looked around and noticed that in none of the pictures were him and Jemma beside each other and the only pictures where he showed affection were the ones with him and Skye. _

_Ward: "Jemma?"_

_He turned around to see her sitting on one of the couches, their son asleep against her chest and she smiled at him_

_Jemma: "Well she is the love of your life Grant...no use hiding it..."_

_Grant: "But you're my wife now...this is..."_

_Jemma: "It's not wrong...I know you love her and she is my best friend and I want Gabe to know his birth mother..."_

_Grant: "Jemma...this place is amazing...What else is there?"_

_Jemma: "Well there's close to twenty bedrooms, ten with their own fireplaces, twelve bathrooms, three public entertainment/sitting areas each with its own fireplace, three private entertainment/Sitting areas including this one, each with their own fireplace, a screening room; a grand study and library, a briefing room, a laboratory for me with it's own greenhouse, a sun room, two pools, various armouries, a ballroom, a grand dining room, two massive kitchens, a number of greenhouses, a sun room, a massive gym, a training room, a military style bunker, a tennis court, grounds large enough to have an individual field for polo, football, baseball and whatever other sport he'd like to play..., there's also multiple balconies and gardens with works of art adorning nearly every corridor...they stripped three Italian palaces to furnish this place..."_

_Grant: "Thank you...You took the way I imagined my ideal home to be like and did it better...way better..."_

_Jemma: "Well I'm glad you like it...Now since there's enough room we should discuss the sleeping arrangements... You take the master bedroom and I'll be down the hall from you...we don't have to share a bed anymore Grant...I know it made you uncomfortable but we had to keep up appearances at the base but here we're free to do whatever we want...you can finally be rid of me..."_

_Grant: "I'd never want to get rid of you..."_

_He took another look around before returning his gaze to her_

_Grant: "Jemma did you do all of this because I was uncomfortable sleeping next to you?"_

_Jemma looked down at her shoes and shrugged_

_Jemma: "well yeah...I didn't want to be a reminder to you that you had to settle for me when you could've had something much better..."_

_He took a step closer to her, placed his hand on her shoulder and gave her a reassuring squeeze._

_Grant: "Jem...I didn't settle...you're the reason I'm alive today and you've done so much for me and for Gabe...you're an amazing person and any man would be lucky to have you..."_

_Jemma: "Thanks Grant...Now it's late so good night...do you want to take Gabe to his nursery?"_

_Grant: "Lead the way because I might just get lost..."_

_Jemma: "I'll draw you a map in the morning..."_

_She smiled at him, stood up and with their son in her arms began walking towards the grand staircase. He watched her closely as she ascended the stairs and led him to their son's nursery. Grant immersed himself with the surroundings of his new home. Long corridors filled with artworks, and other priceless artefacts had caught his gaze everywhere he looked. He was delighted to find the nursery just a door away from the master bedroom but as he passed the gorgeous artworks, splendid tapestries and other luxurious interiors that Jemma had added to their home her words rang through his head __**'...you can finally be rid of me...' **__her words had bothered him for some reason and once they laid their son to rest in his mahogany crib Grant decided to have a word with his wife before their retired to their rooms_

_Grant: "Jemma...be honest with me...I know you designed this entire place..."_

_Jemma: "Well yeah, I modelled after both your family home in Boston and my home in England...my parents were very particular about the environment I was raised in and I feel our son deserves the same upbringing that I had..."_

_Grant: "This is positively regal Jem, There's so much I don't know about you all I know is that you are ridiculously intelligent, have two phD's in fields I can't pronounce, loyal and brave to a fault and easily the nicest person I know...The point is...I'd like to get to know you better..."_

_Jemma: "And you shall Grant...the best way to know someone is to live with them..."_

_Grant watched as she made her way to her bedroom and something made him call out to her_

_Grant: "Jem...you don't have to..."_

_Jemma: "Oh but I do...Good night Grant..."_

_She closed her room door behind her leaving Grant alone in the corridor, his whispered 'good night' echoing off the stone walls and Mahogany floors._

_*End Flash Back*_

Grant watched Jemma with his son and couldn't deny that his wife's words troubled him immensely. He knew that she had diverted his attention with the story of her childhood home that night but now it was their second year of marriage and Grant wanted to let Jemma know how much he appreciated everything she had done for him and his son. So he had a special necklace made as a gift to her and was planning on giving it to her before the party they were hosting that night.

He and Jemma stayed on with SHIELD as consultants and the team practically lived at their place whenever they were in town. Coulson and May had easily assumed the roles of doting grandparents but if you called May 'old' to her face or insinuated it in any way she'd punch the living daylights out of you...Poor Hunter learned that one the hard way. Mack, Trip and Hunter became Gabe's awesome uncles and apart of their family, it was only Fitz that had refused to associate with them and Grant knew how much this upset his wife and so he requested that Fitz's attendance was mandatory at Gabe's birthday party tonight and the rest of the team agreed with him, it was time for Fitz to get off his high horse and end this silly feud with Jemma.

He was taken from his thoughts when he heard his son laugh in glee, and he looked up to see the cause of his son's jubilation and walked over to see what happened to the boy. The minute Gabe had seen the BUS enter the Mansion's air space he lit up with excitement and all Jemma could do was smile at the boy's reaction. Grant had just reached the spot where they were sitting in the Garden and picked up his son, helped Jemma to his feet and together they walked over to the landing spot to greet their guests.

Jemma: "He scraped his knee while trying to chase that rabbit you bought him as a pet..."

Grant: "You don't like the rabbit?"

Jemma: "It's a large property Love...I was rather hoping you'd get him a puppy, dogs have a slightly better sense of direction that rabbits..."

Grant: "You're just upset that even though he started walking he's not old enough to go riding with us yet...I told you we can get him a pony when he's older...honestly what is your obsession with turning our son into a little gentlemen?"

Jemma: "Well I am raising him the only way I know how Love so forgive me if I had a regal upbringing..."

Grant laughed at his wife's reference to her childhood and smirked

Grant: "I can't believe you were a debutante..."

Jemma: "Well you had wanted to know more about me Love and your wish was granted when my parents decided to drop in on us unannounced...luckily we've added butlers to our staff so that doesn't happen again..."

Grant: "The army of maids, chefs, grounds men, stable hands and live in Nanny were simply not enough dear?"

Sure his tone was sarcastic but deep down he knew Jemma only wanted the Best for Gabe so he obligingly let her have her way, because Frankly Jemma had all of that and more growing up and she turned out fine

Jemma: "Yes love...now once we settle our old team in...I was wondering if you still want that rematch... Or are you tired of losing to your wife every day?"

Grant: "Fencing is not exactly my forte, I prefer guns to swords... and how do I know if my trainer has had the proper instruction in the subject?"  
>Jemma: "Love, I've had the proper instruction since I was four..."<p>

She had taken to calling him_ 'love'_ a year into their marriage, a habit she picked up when her parents had visited nearly one year back after they had heard of their only child's secret marriage and son. Alexander and Catherine Simmons were devastated when their only child married a man who they had deemed was of 'inferior birth' and had a child out of wedlock but Jemma had warned him that her parents were 'theatrical' and would look past her little indiscretion because she was their sole heir.

Jemma's father was a strict but loving man, who commanded immense respect in Europe because of his vast wealth. So she put up the appearance of being madly in love with her new husband, by moving into the master bedroom temporarily and had frequently used the endearing term to fool her parents into believing their façade. Frankly Grant knew the faux affection was to appease his father in law because once his mother in law had seen the Mansion that they were living in she had warmed up to Grant considerably. Alex Simmons however had seen through the façade and on his first visit to their home had taken his daughter to their study and had a very long conversation with her. Grant had no idea what they had said to each other but once the elder man had exited the study, he gave him a firm hand shake and a look that said _'don't hurt my daughter'_ before he scooped up his grandson and peppered the little boy's face with kisses. Grant had never asked Jemma about that conversation but he was curious to know what was said between them. The Simmons' were the only true grandparents his son knew since they had no idea who Skye's parents were and he wasn't going to let Gabe anywhere near his biological family.

May and Coulson were the first to exit the Shield plane and had ignored Grant and Jemma entirely as they grabbed Gabe up and showered him with their affection. Trip had rolled his eyes at their antics and once he exited the plane he took Jemma into a very protective hug while Hunter gave Ward a firm handshake when he reached Grant. Mack was helping Fitz carry some equipment and he dropped the cases and Hugged Jemma the moment he saw her leaving Fitz scowling at the foot of the plane's stairs. It was the first time that Fitz and visited their home and had seen them since they left the base a year ago. Grant went over to the engineer and decided to play the gracious host

Grant: "Hello Fitz...Long time..."

Fitz merely shrugged in response and turned his gaze over to Jemma who was busy catching up with Trip, Mack and Hunter. One of the servants pulled her aside, whispered something into her ear and left. Soon Jemma caught everyone's attention and announced

Jemma: "Well since you've had a long journey I suggest we all have a light meal before our guests retire for a short nap...the party's in the evening so until then make yourselves comfortable..."  
>Jemma then started walking back to the house with Coulson, Hunter and Mack (who had Gabe on his shoulders) all of them having an animated conversation. May stuck around with Grant and Fitz and spoke to Grant loud enough for Fitz to hear<p>

May: "So...Marrying her was everything you expected it to be?"

Grant: "Not really...she surprised me a few times..."

May: "She's really good with Gabe...your son is the perfect little gentleman..."

Grant: "She's amazing with him May..."

May: "Jemma Simmons is a wonderful woman...only a fool would let her go..."

May gave Fitz a curt look before walking away leaving Fitz and Grant alone.

Grant: "You know Jemma misses having her best friend around Fitz, and Gabe needs his genius uncle around...who knows what Hunter might teach him?"

Fitz chuckled at that and turned to Grant

Fitz: "I forgave you a while back...The minute I saw you and Jemma boarding the Quinjet with Gabe one year ago...I wanted to stop her and apologise for my behaviour but my ego got in the way...I didn't want to lose her but now I realise that I was the one who let go... Jemma was just being herself, a good person and loyal friend and I punished her for that, and over the last year I've regretted letting her go every single day...I want my best friend back...And I want to get to know my nephew..."

Grant: "Thanks Fitz...now let's go get my Son away from Hunter..."

Fitz: "That won't be too hard..."

The two old friends smiled at each other as they raced back to the Manor both of them glad that the tension between them had lifted.

A/N: BTW when I picture Grant and Jemma's Home I Imagine that the exterior and the interiors would resemble a Cross between: the Luthor Mansion from Smallville and the Queen Mansion from Arrow.


	5. Chapter 5

**Title:** Facade

**Disclaimer:** This is a work of fiction adapted and based on other works of fiction .I only hold the copyrights to my imagination

**Characters:** Skye; Grant Ward; Jemma Simmons; Leo Fitz; Phil Coulson; Melinda May; Antoine Triplett; Raina; Ian Quinn; Eric Koenig Original Character

**Pairings: **Skye/Grant Ward [Skye-Ward]; Grant Ward/Jemma Simmons; Jemma Simmons/Leo Fitz; Jemma Simmons Antoine & Antoine Triplett (friendship); Phil Coulson/Melinda May (implied)

**Genre: **Drama/ Angst /Romance

**Summary: ** The more things Change, the more they stay the same

**Authors Note (A/N):** This does not follow the Current Track and Characters will be slightly OOC (out of Character)

MERRY ALMOST CHRISTMAS EVERYONE! Have a wonderful Festive Season

Chapter 5

The clash of swords rang through the air as Grant and Jemma duelled in the Mansion's largest training room. Jemma was smaller than Grant making her faster and more agile as she expertly traded blows with him. Her experience with the blade was definitely working to her advantage and Grant had found himself on the losing end of her skill once more. She had pinned him against the wall, he blade pointed at his chest and smiled in victory

Jemma: "I win...again...you know one day I'm going to lose on purpose just to mix things up..."

He laughed at his wife's smug smile and once she put her sword away he decided to tell her about his conversation with Fitz.

Grant: "Fitz forgave me..."

Jemma: "That's wonderful news Love..."

Grant: "He wants to apologise to you..."

Jemma smiled at him as she packed his sword away

Jemma: "Well he can tell me tonight at the party..."

She was in a good mood and it was the perfect time to present the gift he had gotten her since their guests were asleep upstairs and the party didn't start for another few hours

Grant: "I got you something..."

Jemma: "If it's another dead animal to dissect...it can wait until after the party..."

Grant: "No...Well I got you a present... come with me..."

He took her by the hand and led her up the grand staircase to the master bedroom and once they had entered he shut the door behind him, seated her on his bed and opened his private safe. He extracted the velvety black case from its metal prison and shut the safe before turning to Jemma and presenting her with the box

Jemma: "You bought me Jewellery? Love we've been over this..."

Grant: "I know we have ok! But I wanted to do something nice for you since you've done so much for me and Gabe..."

Jemma: "Grant seeing you happy is all I could ever ask for..."

She stared deeply into his eyes before taking the box out of his hands and setting it down on a nearby table, her back turned to him a clear indication that she was avoiding the issue and that angered Grant just a little...They needed to talk about this, they needed closure...

He walked up behind her and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder before he spoke

Grant: "That and...Well I've been thinking and this has been bothering me for a while now...Jemma when we moved into this Mansion what did you mean when you said that once Skye returned I'd finally be rid of you? Aren't you going to live here afterwards? I mean this is your home too..."

She shrugged his hand off and began slowly walking towards the door, a subtle cue that the conversation was over for her

Jemma: "Grant can we not discuss this now...please?"

He grabbed her wrist and turned her to face him, his eyes filled with a mix of anger and desperation...he was angry at her for taking on this huge burden on her delicate shoulders, angry at her for being so wonderful to him that he would forever remain in her debt and that was a debt he was desperate to repay

Grant: "No...I want to know ok? And what did your father say to you that day Jem?"

His grip tightened slightly as a way of preventing her from dashing out of the room, but his eyes softened showing her that his aggression was not threatening but simply because he was concerned about something

Jemma: "Honestly Grant it's none of your business..."

She tried to get out of his grip but failed

Grant: "You are my wife so that makes it my business!"

Jemma: "I'm not really your wife!"  
>She finally broke out of his grip as her words echoed throughout the room<p>

Jemma: "I'm not really your wife...we both know this Grant...To the outside world we may be Husband and wife but here, in this home we are just two friends raising a child together...and once Skye returns you can finally have that happy family you've always wanted..."

Grant: "Jemma it's been two years! Skye is not coming back! She's dead ok? She's dead! And I already have that happy family with you...Gabe is happy and thinks that you're his mother... Heck even I've started to think of you as my wife but it's just you that's holding onto this fantasy that one day Skye will return...She's gone Jemma...It's time for me to move on and I want to move on with you..."

Jemma stared at the man in front of her shocked at his outburst and decided to finally let her husband know why they could not be together

Jemma: "Grant...we can't..."

Grant: "Jemma I know that you're loyal to Skye but she's dead...Fitz as well as the team of doctors at the SHIELD Base confirmed it..."

Jemma: "I don't bloody care what those doctors said! They're WRONG! I can feel it...I know it...They're wrong..."

She had whispered the last bit and Grant could see the signs of an emotional breakdown clearly etched on Jemma's face. The woman who protected him and his son for the past few years was vulnerable and now it was his turn to give her the strength to carry on.

Not knowing the right words or what he should do, Grant simply wrapped his arms around her, engulfing her in his protective embrace, shielding her from anything that could ever hurt her while hoping she could draw the much needed strength from him to continue with her 'self imposed' mission. Her cheek was pressed firmly against his chest and slowly her arms wrapped themselves around his waist, drawing him closer as she slowly began to cry against him. Grant held her tighter as her tears soaked through his shirt and held her face in his hands and moved her to face him. He wiped away her tears with the pad of his thumb and placed a chaste kiss on her forehead before urging her to speak

Jemma watched him with fascination, Grant was displaying a level of gentleness with her that she had only seen him display towards Skye...and that was unacceptable to her. Skye had sole right over him and it was time Grant was reminded of that

Jemma: "Grant...You wanted to know what my father said to me right? Well he said he was disappointed in me but not because I married a man who did not match my status. He was disappointed in me because he thinks I'm manipulating you... He knows that you love another woman, Gabe's real mother and that she passed away so he thinks I'm taking advantage of you..."

Grant: "Why on earth would he think that? How could he have such a low opinion of you? You're the nicest person I know!"

Grant was suddenly angry at the man for thinking so lowly of such a wonderful person like Jemma, he was about to further voice his anger but Jemma's next words halted him

Jemma: "Because that's what the world I grew up in was like! People manipulated each other, betrayals backstabbing...it was second nature to us...My father knows that Gabe is not my son and he's a romantic at heart so he thinks I seduced you away from your true love. That day...Well he made me swear that when Gabe's real mother returns I will walk away from this family..."

His anger evaporated as he realised the gravity of Jemma's decision to marry him _'She doesn't care about herself? What about her happiness? How could she be so kind to me? I mean I'm the guy who tried to kill her and Fitz! And here I am ruining her life...No, No I won't let her life be ruined!'_

Grant: "Jemma, you deserve to be happy too..."

Jemma: "How can I be happy with you Grant? Because everyday I'd spend with you I will know that I betrayed my friend Skye...now if you'll excuse me I have a party to get ready for...Thank you for the necklace, I'll wear it tonight..."

And with that she untangled herself from him and left, leaving Grant staring at his door.

*Quinn's Compound in Malta*

Raina walked towards Skye's room with a smile on her face. In the last two years since her son's death, Skye had become Raina's ultimate weapon against SHIELD. Even though she had only started going on missions three months ago Skye's hacking Skills combined with her new combat training had made her one of Raina's most deadly assassins. Raina had sent Skye out on various missions to eradicate the SHIELD teams that dared to stop Cybertek and because Skye's skill with computers were unparalleled Coulson and his team were none the wiser of the identity of Cybertek's newest and best assassin.

After convincing Skye that her old team mates did not care for her anymore by bringing the hacker pictures of Grant and Jemma living happily with their son, Gabe, Raina fuelled Skye's hatred for her former teammates with ease each day. Since Raina didn't know where the new SHIELD base was she had one of her other agents keep an eye of The Ward Mansion just outside Boston and everyday she'd show Skye the pictures of Grant and his new family.

Raina didn't bother knocking when she entered Skye's room, she waltzed in her hand clenched around the latest pictures of Coulson and his team landing at the Mansion and had laid eyes on Skye staring and crying over Grant's picture. As much as Skye loved Grant she had grown to despise Jemma and the Biochemist's face was scratched out of every image except the one taken on the day of her wedding. Skye had plastered her room Walls with the images that Raina brought her as a reminder of the people that betrayed her but if only she saw through Raina's lies she would know it was just a façade that Raina had caught on camera.

Skye: "More pictures Raina? What has that bitch done this time? And when do I get to kill her?"

Raina: "Soon Skye...Soon...you will have your revenge...I just wanted you to know that Coulson and his team have landed in Boston...It's their son's birthday today, he just turned two...isn't he adorable..."

Raina handed Skye the picture of the boy and smirked in glee when Skye tossed it aside...Skye had never looked at the boy's pictures for more than a few seconds and for that Raina was grateful because if Skye had scrutinized the pictures she would have figured out a while back that Gabe was really her son and Not Jemma's.

Skye: "I don't care about that bitch's son...All I care about is punishing her for taking Grant from me..."

Raina: "Skye you are not ready yet..."

Skye: "I am...I've taken down multiple SHIELD teams single handedly Raina...I'm sure I can Kill a lowly scientist..."

Raina: "Yes but going after Jemma means seeing your old team again and they'll make you weak...they'll try and change your mind and you're not emotionally strong enough yet...Skye I want you to get your revenge on Jemma but now she has Coulson and Grant on her side and they will not let her be harmed...You need to be patient Skye...the time for revenge is almost upon us..."

Skye: "It better damn-well hurry up..."

Raina watched as Skye's anger at her friend consumed her and as soon as she left the room, Raina started laughing..._ 'Oh Skye...if only you knew the truth...I told you once that emotions make you weak and I was right...You're blinded by your anger and desire for vengeance because if you see things clearly the person you think is your mortal enemy is actually your greatest ally. I have to admire Jemma's constraint though...If I had a man like Grant as my husband I would've fucked him a long time ago but because of her stupid loyalty to a friend that now hates her, she will never know what an Amazing lover Grant Ward can be...if the stories that Skye tells me are true...Jemma is really missing out...oh well...'_

Raina's laughter rang through the empty corridor; she finally had the upper hand and no matter what she was determined to emerge victorious

_*Ward Mansion- Boston*_

The party carried on around him but he couldn't bring himself to enjoy it. It was basically dinner and birthday cake in the Mansion's grand dining room with Gabe being the centre of attention. He was sure that everyone was so engrossed with his son that they wouldn't notice his absence so he slipped out of the dining area and climbed the stairs making his way to his private balcony. He had to give Jemma props for designing such a wonderful home, not only was it great for entertaining with its warm and inviting aura it was also ideal if one craved solitude since it had many places where one could hide and lament. He walked into the master bedroom and made his way out of the French doors to the adjoining balcony; he placed his palms on the balustrade railing and looked up at the night's clear sky as he spoke to the love that he'd lost.

Grant: "You're not even here...but You still affect me...Today is our Son's second birthday...honestly I don't even know what day he was born but today's the day he came into my life...it's also the day I found out you died...Sure Jemma and I went with Gabe this morning to pay our respects at the cemetery but I still feel like I should've done more...These last few years I haven't done much besides go on missions and mope about losing you...The only time I spend with our son is when I watch Jemma with him, she actually has to beckon me to join them and I feel like a terrible father because I can't look at my son without being reminded that you're not here...I love you Skye...I love you so much it consumes me...I can't go on without you but I have to every day because of our son...Our little boy and the sad part is he barely knows his dad...Jemma has held this family together for such a long time but still my heart aches for you...But I'm married now...I'm married to her and that is the biggest betrayal to our love but loving you Skye, thinking about you, longing for you each and every day is a betrayal to my marriage with Jemma...I can't keep living like this...So I'm here to ask your permission...give me a sign...tell me that's it's ok to be happy...tell me that it's ok to move on...give me something...anything..."

He felt a cool breeze caressing his face and that was just a normal effect of Nature not some supernatural sign that he was asking for but he misconstrued it to be a sign from Skye and accepted it.

Grant: "Thank you Skye..."

He didn't even hear his wife open his room door, Jemma stood just in front of the open French doors and listened to her husband as he spoke to the woman he loved. Jemma had been observing him throughout the evening and she knew that he was bothered with the whole ordeal since today marked Skye's death anniversary as well as Gabe's birthday. _'I never should've fought with him today...I kept his mind of everything after we returned from the cemetery by challenging him to a duel and then the team came by and he was so happy...Why did I have to over react over a small gift...'_

She had already received an earful from May when she had told the older agent about what had happened between her and Grant before the party, May was livid with her, and now watching Grant talk to the night hoping that Skye was listening made her heart clench and it was now that May's word's made sense _"He's trying to be happy Jemma...He wants to be happy but your behaviour constantly reminds him that he lost Skye...so from now on if Skye's going to come back, you should deal with it when it actually happens...but for now...be happy and make your husband happy...you're his anchor Jem...you don't have to betray Skye to make Ward feel better so if he tries encourage him...now go find your husband before he does something stupid..."_

She crossed the threshold into the balcony and placed her hand on her husband's shoulder before she spoke

Jemma: "Well if you're going to be speaking to Skye without me...I have a few things I want to add... Firstly Skye, You're Kid's amazing but handling your son and beloved is really too much work so come back soon and take over because honestly I'm getting sick of Grant's brooding. Grant here thinks that you've passed on but I know better, that's not my best friend buried in that cemetery because the Skye I know wouldn't go down that easy... Secondly, I miss you...I miss my best friend and I want you to come back so you can see that I kept my promise...You have an amazing family Skye, and they need you to come home..."

Grant watched as Jemma started crying when she spoke to her long departed friend as she went along with his conversation to 'Skye'. She had never ceased to amaze him and he was about to tell her that she was being ridiculous...He knew that Skye was dead, he saw the body with his own eyes and now he realised the Jemma was simply in denial, she missed her friend and had kept up the hope that Skye was coming home one day so she kept him and Gabe as happy as possible, but for all her goodness Grant had failed to see Jemma's pain and her longing for the girl she saw as a sister. _'Jemma's self sacrificing nature has brought her nothing but pain...I should've been there for her, If I lost the love of my life then Jemma lost someone too...Jemma has done so much to make sure Gabe and I were ok, It's time I did something for her...forgive me Skye... it's time for me to move on...my wife needs me...'_

Grant had pulled Jemma closer to him and took her in his strong embrace, holding her close to his chest as she sobbed against him, her tears staining his shirt. His arms wrapped around her slender waist as he pulled her closer into him, her cheek resting on his chest while his chin rested on the top of her head. It must've been exhausting being happy all the time and Grant knew that Jemma needed to be taken care of just as much as he did.

Grant: "It's ok Jem...It's alright...I'll catch you if you fall remember..."

She wiped her tears and sniffed before she looked up at him, her teary eyes and broken stature awakening all his protective instincts

Jemma: "I'll catch you if you fall..."

Grant smiled down at her and wiped her tears with the pad of his thumb

Jemma: "Grant...I'm sorry I over reacted...The necklace is lovely..."

Grant: "You're welcome...It matches your outfit nicely..."

It was true, the brilliant sapphires and diamonds were set in gold and intricately woven into a 'choker style' necklace that had matched Jemma's casual attire, a deep red button down shirt paired with a pair of black jeans, perfectly.

Jemma: "Well I've decided to put this fight behind us...give me another chance?"

Grant: "Sure...hey Jem?"

She had been on her feet the entire day and Grant knew that she was really tired so she didn't bother looking up at him as she sleepily responded  
>Jemma: "Mmhh?"<p>

Grant: "Are we doing the right thing?"

Jemma: "It doesn't matter what we do...none of this is real...it's just the façade of life I suppose..."

Grant could feel her falling off to sleep in his embrace so He picked her up, bridal style and carried her to his bed and after laying her down gently he typed out a quick message to May asking her to put Gabe to bed before changing into his sleepwear and removed his wife's shoes before climbing into bed with her, her soft back against his chest, her hair caressing his face and his arms encircling her waist as the gentle night breeze lulled them to sleep

**A/N**: Wow...heavy chapter... Grant's still pining for the woman he believes is dead, Skye has been manipulated by Raina and Jemma's clearly in denial...hopefully we'll see what happens to them before Boxing Day!


	6. Chapter 6

**Title:** Facade

**Disclaimer:** This is a work of fiction adapted and based on other works of fiction .I only hold the copyrights to my imagination

**Characters:** Skye; Grant Ward; Jemma Simmons; Leo Fitz; Phil Coulson; Melinda May; Antoine Triplett; Raina; Ian Quinn; Eric Koenig Original Character

**Pairings: **Skye/Grant Ward [Skye-Ward]; Grant Ward/Jemma Simmons; Jemma Simmons/Leo Fitz; Jemma Simmons Antoine & Antoine Triplett (friendship); Phil Coulson/Melinda May (implied)

**Genre: **Drama/ Angst /Romance

**Summary: ** The more things Change, the more they stay the same

**Authors Note (A/N):** This does not follow the Current Track so it is set completely in an Alternate Universe to the current track of the Show. The Characters will be slightly OOC (out of Character).

I am taking creative liberties with the situations by occasionally dramatising the plot to make for a more compelling read yet I am trying to portray these relationships realistically so bear with me as I learn to navigate through these complexities

Even though I value the opinions of my readers I urge you to allow me to explore my creativity without any pressure in order to present you with a piece that will both be enjoyable to read and will also make me proud

Remember This work is fiction and there is no obligation on you to read it if you don't like it or feel uncomfortable with it so there is no hard feelings if you don't like the work and don't feel like continuing it.

**This chapter contains scenes depicting acts of a sexual nature so reader discretion is advised. The scene is in bold and marked off with a warning so feel free to skip it if it makes you uncomfortable.**

Chapter 6

The sunlight danced across her face, accentuating her gorgeous features creating an angelic like appearance that caused Grant to stare transfixed at the woman sleeping soundly in his bed. Sometime during the night he had turned her body to face his and; as an experiment (he was married to a scientist after all) to test how different it would be to have his wife in what should be _their_ bed; He held her close to him, his arms secured around her waist pulling her closer, their legs intertwined and his right hand clasping her left as he toyed with her wedding ring.

Marrying Jemma had never been part of his plan, he had always imagined that he would be raising his children with Skye, in a small house in the suburbs (since Skye would want to live the American Dream of two and a half kids complete with a white picket fence) after they had left the Field and stayed on as consultants for Shield. So far the only part of his dream that had come true was the fact that both he and his wife were consultants for SHIELD, and he definitely wasn't complaining. _'She's not Skye...Surely she'll have a different view on things like this...besides she's going over and above the call of friendship here and I'm grateful that she held my family together when it was falling apart...It's time to move on Grant, it's not fair to Jemma to keep holding on to Skye's memory...it's time to play your part in this relationship, time to be a husband Grant...'_

Just as he made this resolution, a lock of Jemma's hair had fallen against her face and had irritated her eye, causing her to stir slightly. Grant smiled at her lovingly and caressed her face before brushing the strand away and tucking it behind her ear and thereafter placing a chaste kiss on her forehead. The moment the ghost of his lips brushed against her forehead, her eyes fluttered open and before he made contact with her skin she had moved back, away from him. She took a quick look around before she registered her surroundings and Grant smiled at the look of confusion that came across her face.

Grant: "Something the matter Darling?"

Jemma stared at him for a few seconds as she puzzled through the best way to word her question, but sadly her politeness lost out to her curiosity and her good sense was clouded with his masculine scent as she blurted out

Jemma: "How did I get here?"

Grant merely smiled and said

Grant: "Well last night you came to see me and apologise and we had a little chat...afterwards you were extremely tired and had fallen asleep so I laid you down on the bed and since I was pretty tired I decided to turn in as well."

Jemma: "Ok...but couldn't you just wake me...I mean I would've went to my room...you must've been uncomfortable...you know...with me here... I'm sorry..."

Grant stared at the woman he called his wife in both disbelief and amazement. Amazement because once again she put his comfort before her own and disbelief because she thought that a simple act; like him sharing **his** bed with **his** wife would make him uncomfortable; and thus something she needed to apologise for... She doubted herself, she didn't see herself as his wife and that had to change immediately. She was his wife and it's time they both truly accepted their relationship.

Grant: "Don't apologise Jemma...It was the best sleep I had in years...I mean I didn't try and kill myself and you didn't have to wake up in the middle of the night to pull any blade or gun away from me...so yeah..and I know you had a peaceful night's sleep after a long time...since for the last three months whenever you can't sleep you go downstairs and either playChopin's_ '__Lament' _[Étude Op. 10, No. 6] or Rachmaninoff_'s ___Piano Concerto No___**. **__3..._You play beautifully by the way...there are times at night when I look forward to you playing...it helps me sleep..."

Jemma stared at him a mix of curiosity, confusion, and disbelief washing over her features. Her eyes wide with surprise and multiple questions playing on her lips, But Grant knew that if she was given the opportunity to speak she would look for an excuse to distance herself from him and he could not let that happen anymore...

Grant: "I was thinking maybe you could teach me...how to play...that and maybe help me out with my fencing... God knows I need the help..."

She remained silent, eyes never leaving his. She was about to say something but he cut her off once more

Grant: "...And I think it will be good for us, something we could do together...as a couple...apparently couple activities help with strengthening the bond between husband and wife..."

Jemma stared at her husband, May's words from the previous night _'...he's trying to be happy...'_ filled her ears and watching him talk about how he had a good night's sleep after a long while reminded her of the incidents in the not too distant past that now haunted her nightmares.

_*Flash Back*_

_It couldn't have been past midnight when Jemma had shrugged off her lab coat packed her samples away and walked out of the lab towards her room. Out of habit she moved towards her old bunk and was about to turn the handle before she remembered that the bunk had been reassigned months prior to one of the new scientists after she married Grant. Chuckling softly at her silliness, Jemma quietly made her way to her new sleeping quarters and once she stood in front of her new room door, she turned the handle ever so softly, in order not to disturb Grant or Gabe (who was sound asleep in his crib). _

_Darkness greeted her and it took a while for her eyes to adjust to the diminished light. She had left the room door slightly ajar and the crack of light streaming in illuminated her worst fear. The image was one she had seen many times before but it no matter how many times she saw it, it still scared her. Right before her eyes, Grant had sat on the floor, in the middle of the room, knife in his right hand; the blade grazing over the pulse on his left. The minute the light shone across his eyes he glanced up and Jemma could never forget the look of desperation in his eyes. He was about to apply pressure, letting the blade rip through his pulse but Jemma's presence had halted his movements. This was easily the tenth time in the last month that she had thwarted his suicide attempts and those that she couldn't prevent, she made sure he survived due to her crafty surgical skills. Grant stared up at her, his eyes desperate, his voice cracked as he choked out_

_Grant: "please...It's the only time I get to see her again...I need to see Skye again..."_

_Jemma simply walked over to him, knelt beside him and wrapped her hand around his wrist. She helped him to his feet and pulled him towards Gabe's crib, the little boy fast asleep, completely oblivious to the world around him. _

_Jemma: "look at him Grant...I know it's difficult to live without someone you care deeply for but I can't begin to understand your pain...I know that it seems like all hope is lost but this child, this little boy is a piece of you and Skye...your son was sent here for a reason, now I don't know exactly what that reason is but I prefer to look at him as a symbol, a symbol of hope...a sign that there's something good out there for you and that he is the key to your happiness Grant...A son will always need his father but now you as a father need your son to pull you away from this depression...Grant, please...Gabe needs his father...don't take that away from him..."_

_He didn't even realise when she had slipped the knife away from his grip, he didn't realise when he moved backwards, sinking to the floor in despair. In seconds she was beside him, and wrapped her arms around him to steady and comfort him as he rested his head against her shoulder. Her back rested against the edge of their bed, his body nestled against hers their legs outstretched before them. He stared at his son's crib for a few seconds before he whispered_

_Grant: "I wont...I won't take his father away from him..."_

_When he woke the next morning, sleeping against Jemma on the floor of his room, he made a promise that he would get better for his son, and since that day his suicide attempts had ceased but his melancholy had never truly left him_

_*End Flash Back*_

Grant had just suggested that they take up a 'couple's activity' and Jemma would've laughed at the absurdity of it all, insisting that they were not, in anyway, a couple but the way his eyes lit up at the prospect of doing something other than work or moping around was something that Jemma hadn't seen in a long time. He was trying to be happy so she was definitely going to indulge him if it meant that he would smile and laugh more.

Jemma: "Well I can't make any promises about the fencing, I do enjoy besting you at a form of combat so please don't take that away from me...piano playing on the other hand, I can teach...but I warn you my time is very expensive..."

Grant could tell by the expression on her face, her eyes glinting in mischief as she tried to stifle her laughter, that she was joking, but since she was making an effort to make him smile he decided to play along.

Grant: "What's it going to cost me?"

Jemma: "A smile...now and then...oh and some quality time with Gabe...you can babysit him while I go out riding on Sundays..."

Grant: "Deal...but there's one more thing..."

He lunged forward and grabbed her tickling her mercilessly, enjoying the delightful squeals and laughter that emanated from her lips

Grant: "Grant Ward does not lose!"

He had just completed the statement when she retaliated, tickling him just as fiercely as he did her and moments later they ceased their movements leaving them in a fit of giggles. It took him seconds to drag her on top of him, his back against the soft mattress as she straddled his hips, his hands against her back, pulling her closer to him. His body had reacted to the proximity of his wife's body and Jemma had noticed his stirring erection grazing her inner thigh. Grant leaned forward to capture her lips in what would've been their first kiss and Jemma's sudden arousal was not lost on him. He was about to close the gap between them and kiss her but she hastily turned away and got off him

Jemma: "W-W-we..We have guests...yeah..uh..guests waiting downstairs for breakfast...I'm...I'm going to go get ready..."

It was a feeble excuse, but her flushed cheeks, shy smile and refusal to make eye contact as she fled his room told him that she was just as affected as he was and really how could she not be? It's been two years since either of them engaged in any amorous activities with anyone...both of them remaining celibate since Skye's untimely death. He was turned on, and that confused him because ever since he met Skye there was no other woman who could affect him like that and his mind began wandering into dangerous territory _'Am I in love with Jemma? No..I love Skye...but Jemma's sweet, and kind, and really good with Gabe...she's perfect...Ugh! I need to get ready for breakfast with the team...I'll think about this later...'_ and with that final thought he shrugged his shirt off and headed to his _en-suite_ bathroom to firstly take care of the hard on he was now sporting and secondly to make himself presentable for breakfast with the team

#####################################################

_*Ian Quinn's Compound- Malta*_

Raina watched the surveillance footage from her office at Quinn's compound in Malta. She felt a surge of pride as she watched a masked Skye mercilessly and single handedly kill the nine Shield agents that dared to barge into one of Cybertek's Labs. Quinn, who was squeamish around blood since May beat him up after he shot Skye, looked away from the screen.

Quinn: "Do we have to watch this Raina? We know she'll get the job done..."

Raina: "I have to watch it Ian...This footage, they way she mercilessly defeated those SHIELD agents tells me one thing..."

Quinn: "That you've created a monster?"  
>Raina: "No...Well yes...That and It tells me that she's ready..."<p>

Quinn: "For what?"  
>Raina: "To face her past..."<p>

Quinn's eyes widened with fear

Quinn: "Raina...No...you're not going to send her back to Coulson's team..."

Raina: "Yes...yes I am...She hates Shield enough to help us destroy them but she hates them more, her old team had never came to rescue her and for that she wants to teach them a lesson..."

Quinn: "They never came because you told them that she died!"

Raina: "well Skye doesn't know that...and what Skye doesn't know won't hurt her..."

Quinn: "Raina...it'll destroy her...once she uncovers the truth she'll come after us and this time she'll have Coulson by her side..."

Raina: "Something tells me that Coulson won't be rushing to Skye's after she helps us..."

There was a sinister pause in the air as Quinn contemplated Raina's words

Quinn: "What are you planning Raina?"  
>Raina: "Tell me Ian...who's the one person Skye loathes at this point in time?"<p>

Quinn: "Jem-"

Raina: "Exactly! Skye hates Jemma because she feels that her best friend stole her fiancée and had his child...And remind me who is Coulson's new Golden Girl?"

Quinn: "Jemma...Raina, You want Skye to Kill Jemma?! But how will tha-"

Raina: "The death of Jemma Simmons will annihilate the very foundation of Shield... It will destroy Coulson that he, as director, couldn't protect the one person who held his team together, May would never forgive herself if she let another agent die after Bahrain, Leo Fitz will retreat further into himself. He had just made nice with his friend and then her tragic demise will send him over the edge, Trip will lose his faith in humanity and Grant...well Grant will shatter completely...and all of those people will be vulnerable, sorting through the rubble of their once great organisation and too engrossed with making Jemma's murderer pay to even notice the moment when we hammer the last nail in all of their coffins. So no, Coulson won't join Skye in her vengeance against us, because he'll be too busy focusing on Skye's betrayal and mistrusting her to align himself with her against us..."

Quinn: "And what makes you so sure that Skye will Kill Jemma? What if Grant stops her? Or if she sees Gabe and figures out that he's her son?"

Raina: "Skye won't find out until it's too late...this I guarantee..."

Quinn: "How can you be so sure Raina?"  
>Raina: "Well she will never look Gabe in the eye because she thinks he's Jemma's son, and the only feature Gabe has of his mother's is his eyes..."<p>

Quinn: "Well that's one problem solved..."

Raina: "And if I know Grant, which I do, he won't let Skye anywhere near him until his divorce with Jemma is finalised...so that's plenty of time to fan the flames of hatred in Skye's heart don't you think?"

Quinn: "And when is this big plan of yours going to commence huh? It's not like we can just drop Skye off at their new Shield base and have her shoot Jemma..."

Raina: "Well not exactly...Why don't we just let them find her? You know let them deal with the guilt of knowing that they didn't look hard enough..."

Quinn: "And then what? You think they going to just take her home?"

Raina: "Well yes..."

Quinn: "You want to kill Jemma in her own home? Raina, even for you, that's harsh..."

Raina: "Killing Jemma Simmons is necessary for my plan! SHIELD must be dismantled Ian because as long as shield is around they will never allow Cybertek to progress! But you're right killing Jemma in her own home is a bit harsh..."

Quinn grabbed a nearby tablet and began searching for something, seconds later he handed the tab to Raina for her to see what he found, and spoke

Quinn: "There's a SHIELD conference in Boston next month, guess who's the Keynote speaker?"

Raina: "Jemma...Its brilliant Ian! A public spectacle is just what we need! SHIELD won't know what hit them!"

Quinn: "but how do we get Skye back into SHIELD?"

Raina: "We Need Coulson's team to trust her again and we need her to see that they've moved on..."

Quinn: "We could keep her in a Fake Lab..."

Raina: "And feed the location to Coulson! Quinn You're full of Ideas today..."

Raina was pleased, a plan to destroy Shield had been constructed, now all Raina had to do was wait for her monster to come home before putting her plan in motion.

She walked over to the nearest wall intercom and buzzed the Compound's kitchen

Raina: "Jerome send up a bottle of Bordeaux, it's time to celebrate..."

Within minutes there was a knock on the door, heralding the arrival of a servant with the Champaign and two Crystal glasses. After popping the cork and pouring the drink, Raina raised a Glass to Quinn and smirked

Raina: "To the end of SHIELD"

They Clinked their glasses sinisterly as Skye walked through the front door of the Compound, oblivious to the web of deceit that Raina had spun.

##########################################################

He felt the water caress his nude form, soothing him, causing him to close his eyes and whistle a tune while he began cleansing himself. His mind wandered through various topics such as his meeting with SHIEILD's new head of Operations, his next sparring session with May, spending more time with his son Gabe and Jemma's upcoming conference. At the thought of his wife, his body stirred in a way that used to be reserved for Skye. He was painfully erect as his mind wandered this morning's 'almost kiss' between them. The image of her straddling his hips and smiling down at him caused his balls to tingle so he grabbed his stiff flesh in his hand and stroked it as he fantasised about the woman that he called his wife...

**(Mature Content)**

_**The bathroom door opened and was then latched closed, the sound causing Grant to open his eyes and call out.**_

_**Grant: "Who's there?"  
>He turned his face to the mist covered shower glass and saw the outline of a robed female figure watching him bathe. He chuckled softly, knowing who it was and spoke<strong>_

_**Grant: "Are you going to just stand there or are you going to join me Jemma?"  
>He watched through the misted glass as Jemma removed her robe, slid open the shower door and walked in. He drank in her nude form. Her creamy complexion, perfect breasts, flat stomach and sexy thighs, everything about her presence was suddenly driving him crazy and the signs of his arousal caused Jemma to chuckle sexily. She looked at his rock hard erection and smiled<strong>_

_**Jemma: "looks like someone's very eager..."**_

_**Grant: "He's always up and ready for you..." **_

_**Jemma laughed and moved her hand forward, wrapping it around his stiff flesh. She began slowly stoking his member applying pressure at the base and using her fingers to tweak his sensitive tip where beads of his pure male essence had started to form. She leaned in closer, her nude form against his and kissed him passionately. **_

_**Their tongues had duelled for dominance and Grant was surprised when Jemma submitted to him, she removed her hands from his erection and began tracing the contours of his muscled arms. Grant had his hands on her waist and moved them further south cupping her ass and massaging her flesh gently. Without warning her pushed her against the wall and hoisted her up, her back leaning on the wall to steady her and her right leg wrapped around his waist placing his hardened member at her awaiting core. Her palms were against his wall like chest as she kissed him passionately. Grant broke the kiss, breathing deeply and asked**_

_**Grant: "Are you sure?"**_

_**Jemma didn't respond, she just lifted herself slightly and slowly pushed back down, causing his member to be engulfed by her awaiting warmth. They both moaned in unison, closing their eyes from the onslaught of pleasure. The warm water cascading down their frames acted as an aphrodisiac as she gently pushed down further, trying to get him to fill her completely. Once he was buried in to the hilt, Jemma gazed lovingly at her husband as he filled her completely, her body stretching to accommodate his impressive size. She didn't expect it when he ran his hands along the contours of her ass and used the position to hoist her off of him removing himself from her folds. She got his drift and moved back down, moving to a steady tempo causing him to slowly pump in and out of her. **_

_**As he pumped in and out of her, Grant had punctuated his actions with a pleasured moan. She buried her face in the crook of his neck and began kissing his exposed throat, driving him crazy. While she was busy kissing his Adam's apple, her hands reached down from his chest and moved to the point where they were joined. She began slowly massaging the base of his member as he withdrew from her, the effect of her hand and contracting muscles caused Grant to roll his eyes back in pleasure**_

_**Grant: "God Jemma...You're amazing...don't stop...please...please don't stop..."**_

_**Something inside her took over, a vixen of sorts, she removed her hand from his shaft and moved it lower, then used a perfectly manicured nail to gently scrape against his testicles. Grant shivered in pleasure as his wife began to fondle his balls, he moaned deeply and without warning pushed deeper into her... **_

_**(End of Mature Content)**_

His eyes snapped open and his heart momentarily sank when he realised he was the Shower Cubicle's only occupant. He groaned in frustration at the lack of human contact before suddenly realising what he had just fantasised about

'_What the-? Was I just Fantasising about Jemma? No way...I love Skye! This was just because of what happened this morning...Yeah that's it...It's a perfectly natural bodily response...I mean I haven't got any since Skye and the only female that's close to me now is Jemma...and she's raising my child...she's smart...pretty...super intelligent and funny to boot...it's perfectly natural for me to be attracted to her...right?'_

Grant shook himself out of his daze and took care of his hard on, before rushing out of the shower and hurriedly getting dressed, desperately trying to forget his bathroom fantasy...

Getting through breakfast was more difficult than Grant had anticipated. As head of the Household and host he Sat at the end of the large twelve-seater mahogany table and as the hostess Jemma had Sat on the opposite end, directly facing him. To his left Sat May, who was deep in conversation with Tripp who sat beside her and Fitz and Mack who sat opposite them beside Hunter, and to Grant's right sat Hunter who was busy tucking into his breakfast. Coulson sat to Jemma's left with Gabe on her right and Jemma and the director cooed over Gabe as they fed the tyke his breakfast and every time Gabe chuckled or smiled Jemma would look down the table to him and flash him a small smile.

His erection stirred every time he locked eyes with Jemma so he began avoiding her gaze. But just as he got himself under control, the sound of her voice or her laughter at some joke Fitz had said would cause him to harden once again. May caught sight of him shifting uncomfortably in his seat and shot him a quizzical look. Hunter had followed May's line of vision and snickered at the sight of Grant's grim expression. Since everyone around them was engrossed in either a conversation or their breakfast; Hunter leaned closer to Grant and whispered, knowing that their conversation would not be overheard.

Hunter: "How long has it been mate?"

Grant stared at Hunter, taken aback by his brazenness, and decided to play ignorant

Grant: "I have no idea what you're..."

Hunter: "Oh please, I know a bad case of Blue balls when I see one, having suffered through them for most of my marriage..."

Grant: "Hunter...I really don't want to hear about you demonic hell-beast ex-wife..."

Hunter: "Alright... Alright... but seriously...you and Jemma never?"

Grant: "No..."

Hunter: "And did you get any since..."

Grant: "No..."

Hunter: "What the hell man! If I had a wife like yours I'd be banging her brains out in every room this mansion has..."

Grant: "It's complicated ok..."

Hunter: "You still love...?"

Grant: "Yeah..."

Hunter: "And Jemma?"  
>Grant: "She's was her best friend, Jemma wouldn't do anything to betray her..."<p>

Hunter: "And when did you realise that Jems was the one that got your motor running?"

Grant: "Sometime this morning..."

Hunter: "oh dude...so you gonna do anything about it?"

Grant: "I don't know if I should..."  
>Hunter: "She is your wife you know, and I'm guessing it's been a while since she shagged anyone..."<p>

Grant: "How could you pos-"

Hunter: "She spends every waking moment either with you or Gabe so where on earth could she have met a guy? Besides she strikes me as one who takes marriage seriously, so she's not the cheating type...point is...don't hesitate, it's been a while since _her_ and you have the right to move on..."

They both turned to watch Jemma as she kissed Gabe on his forehead and Grant Smiled at the sight of them

Hunter: "Don't let her go mate...women like her are a rare find..."

Grant Turned his Gaze once more to Jemma and watched as she excused herself from the table and carried Gabe upstairs for his bath.

Jemma sat on the floor in one of the Mansion's many bathrooms, next to the huge porcelain bathtub as Gabe splashed around in his bathwater with a large assortment of toys floating around him. Her sleeves rolled up and her hair tied back as she gently cleansed the boy as he frolicked in the water _'He sure loves bath-time... or maybe it's just his bath toys...'_

She was so engrossed with her son that she doesn't notice the bathroom door open and close behind her, nor does she sense someone else's presence in the room.

Grant watched as his wife bathed his son, she was totally oblivious to his presence since her eyes never left the child and her face was adorned with a beaming smile _'She loves him like he's her own son...'_

Grant smiled at them and decided to make his presence known

Grant: "you know we have an army of nannies that could do this..."

Jemma turned to momentarily face him and shot him a playful glare before returning her gaze to Gabe

Jemma: "Well I was raised by an army of nannies...a child needs their parents to do certain things for them Grant..."

Grant: "well, you have a point..."

Before she could register his words or the actions that followed, he had already rolled up his sleeves and took a seat next to her on the floor and began helping her bathe their son. Gabe gurgled happily as his father tickled his chin and Jemma watched as Grant played with his son.

After bathing the infant, the doting parents had, drained out the water, wrapped him up in a towel, dried him off and carried him to his room to get dressed. Jemma took out Gabe's clothes while Grant held the towel wrapped child in his arms and once Jemma laid out Gabe's clothes on the bed, she took a step back and folded her arms

Jemma: "All yours..."

Grant stared bewildered at the assortment of baby lotions, diapers and baby clothing before him and turned to Jemma, his eyes begging her to help him

Jemma: "Fine...I'll walk you through it..."

So with Jemma's coaching he had managed to get Gabe dressed in under an hour as Jemma chuckled behind him every time he proclaimed _'this isn't so bad...'_ just before he did something wrong. Once Gabe was presentable, Jemma walked over to them and picked the boy up before proceeding to walk out the room.

Grant: "Hey! Where're you off to?"

Jemma turned to him and Smiled

Jemma: "Well May and I are having tea in the sun-room and she wanted to spend some quality time with Gabe...and you have to prepare for that meeting you have with the new head of operations, so you better get down to the study mister..."

She smiled at him, the same smile that had been tormenting him all morning, and as expected he hardened beneath his trousers. He tried to conceal the growing tent and nearly sighed in relief when he realised Jemma had not noticed it. So groaning at the long day ahead of him Grant made his way towards the Mansion's study, trying to keep his mind from having anymore dirty fantasies about Jemma.

**A/N:** I have NO idea how long this story will be but I am going on holiday and will be working on new chapters during my trip so I don't know when I'll update next...


End file.
